Experiencing new Rhythms
by TheBrokenBottle
Summary: Weiss Schnee, under the stage name WhiteSnow, is taking the music industry by storm. With the help of her vocalist and manager she's turning out hit after hit and is on the brink of making it big. Unfortunately, cracks start to appear, but when her vocalist introduces her younger sister, a skilled ball of excitable energy known as Ruby, what will happen? (WhiteRose & some Bumbleby)
1. When the beat drops (Prologue)

**Hello everybody!**

**So, many of you know there are already near 3.8K stories of RWBY made on Fanfiction, mostly about their lives on Beacon, sometimes its a university, other times just the school it is in the original series. I really, really love RWBY and love the first four episodes of season 2! Well, this is a very different story from what most of these stories are, but it also contains WhiteRose (IceFlower if you want to say it original) and Bumblebee! I'm sure you will love it. **

**This is my first story, but only a prologue, so don't be to hard on me. Feedback is appreciated and if you keep sticking: Further in the story, I will sometimes put numbers in the story to explain about something or I put real songs of real DJ's in the list, and you just have to imagine the people in this story made them. So, you have a great storyline, and new songs to check out and put in your Spotify! There you go!**

**As many said: I do not owe RWBY or the characters. (Well the OC's I do.) and I do not owe the songs I will put in.**

**Enjoy reading! (And feedbacks!)**

**-CrystalKetchup (A.k.a - Lydia.)**

**This story will have: Adventure, Drama, Romance, Humor and etc.**

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"You're ready?"

"As always, Yes I am."

"Get on that stage and beat the crap out that turning table."

**Saturday: 0:21, Nightclub; The Black Rapier, Vale.**

The cheering and the atmosphere in The Black Rapier was better and louder it ever have been before, now Vale's most famous performer was dropping the beats behind the neon colored turning table, shoving her white-painted nails all over the systems.

Not only it was her, it was her singer standing next to her.

_"Gosh! It's her!"_

The bright light in all colors shining on the stage, the blue smoke covering half the stage and the people screaming and dancing all over the place. This was a routine for the disc jockey that was performing this night in a club named; The Black Rapier. This was also the club where Weiss Schnee, also known as stage name WhiteSnow played for the first time, four years ago when she was seventeen. The start of the ticket sales to see this person doing what she can do best, was a week before the performance this night... And to the surprise of Weiss and all other people, the ten thousand tickets all were sold an hour after the sell started.

_"Turn up the volume!"_

Ever since the snowy white-haired girl was seven, she looked against her father: Duncan Schnee, the big owner of Schnee Music Records. It was the biggest and most famous music producer the world knew. Over the years, her father imported many people and made big stars of them, and so did he with his oldest daughter. The youngest daughter, Weiss' younger sister: Winter Schnee, became a scout, traveling all the world to search for new talent to bring to Vale to record their talent at the SMR building. While Duncan and his team teached his oldest daughter, Weiss Schnee, all the techniques he knew and trained her how to make music behind the turntables. When Weiss was twelve, she secretly practiced in the studio if her father was busy working and no one was around and that made the conclusion: she was a natural. The same month, scouts were calling every day as they desperately wanted Weiss to record at their studio. But of course; Weiss remained faithful at her father and chose to make a career at Schnee Music Records.

Through the light blue headphones she wore, Weiss heard people shouting and cheering, over an hour long now. Fortunately for her, the show was almost over. The 21 year old already did three shows till deep in the night earlier this week and had still to do one after this night, making her more exhausted she has ever been before. She was familiar with the Black Rapier and it's backlights, so the girl dressed herself to her name: Weiss.

The white snow hair not pulled into a ponytail this time but flowing past her jacket, with a pale blue hat on top of it. The make up artists have been busy with her face, although she heard she had a beautiful skin. Before her first show, they asked her to cover the scar, running down the left side of her face she got after a fight. Weiss declined their question, saying it had become a part of her. Down to the face, that had neon lipstick in blue and white on it, an apple-shaped necklace she got from her father, a white blouse and a gray jacket covered the upper body. Pale blue jeans and white sneakers completed the outfit.

_"I Burn, I Burn!"_

"You want it?" The girl yelled, receiving loud screams from the excited audience. As she pulled two buttons of the systems to their full level, she started to play the last song of the evening while making the atmosphere on its highest from behind the table by jumping on the beat. The song she played was chosen by many people to their favorite and had become the top in the list of best songs for over four weeks now, designed and written all by Weiss herself, but was sung by one of her friends and clients, the vocalist for the song worked at SMR for six weeks now, and together they made a platina song: I Burn.

Grabbing the mic from its holder, WhiteSnow prepared the beats for their last comeback that freaked the people out of excitement.

"Ladies and Gentleman! Can I have a big applause for my vocalist and great friend..."

"Yang Xiao Long!"

Pushing a button, their hit began to play as the smoke machines that were placed on several places around the stage turned on, creating a cloud of golden smoke before the spotlight went on a door, with a clear silhouette standing behind, waving gently.

Slowly, the door opened, revealing a blonde in a golden dress that came to just over her hips with a pair of matching heels. Lilac eyes shining bright in the blinding light of the spotlight, but also getting a mixed colour due to the blacklights and spots in all different colours, bouncing over the audience.

As she looked back to her friend who was behind the turning table, she received a kind smile from the white-haired before the melody began to play and the first notes came out the blonde's throat, a beautiful clear voice that got perfectly with the sounds and the rhythm.

The audience had gone crazy, jumping and screaming with the lyrics, and that was normal. Perhaps this could be their best performance of the previous week. Well, at least it was the last performance of the week. A beautiful, funny and crazy week.

Weiss knew the fame lay within' handreach. She and Yang were about to become famous over the whole Empire.

When that time comes, they're going to Experience New Rhythms.

And they knew that.

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**This was only the prologue, the first chapter will be published soon. This is only to see if this will be popular under the readers.**


	2. Fan for a Lifetime

**Hello! TBB here!**

**It turned out, Experiencing New Rhythms was popular. Popular enough for me to continue. Luckily, I have my good friend YellowSign, supporting me through this and other stories, to make the best of it! **

**Hope you enjoy this chapter! Should keep your eye out for other chapters/stories. **

**9/19/2014: Close to a hundred followers in a month! It makes me very happy. (But I'm not gonna cry.) **

**Read, follow, favourite, (Both story and author...), review and enjoy reading!**

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**Saturday: Later that night, 0:59, The Black Rapier, Vale.**

As Weiss stepped out onto the large stage before her she basked in the applause of the audience. A good few thousand had crammed into The Black Rapier to see her on the last night of her Slamming Vale week, and she was determined not to let them down. Taking her position by her mixing equipment, Weiss flicked a hidden switch and a vast quantity of fake snow began to fall from containers positioned above her, covering both the DJ herself and her good friend and singer, Yang Xiao Long, in a white layer, much to the cheers of the audience. Several large floodlights flashed on and almost blinded the white-haired beauty, but she squinted through it.

Tonight, Weiss was trying out some of the new tracks on her upcoming album, despite it not being completed yet, and she was anxious to see what they thought of her new works. As she finally got used to the glare of the lights, Weiss got a good look at both herself and Yang, her friend wearing a fancy, golden hip dress, heels and hair done up in anticipation for the concert. Weiss herself had gone with a much plainer set of light-blue skinny jeans and a v-neck underneath a white leather jacket, her hair and makeup done as well. After all, she liked to feel beautiful.

Weiss knew that some of her good friends were in the audience but she was having trouble identifying any of them in the sea of people arrayed before her. Still, she was sure they'd end up getting backstage where her manager, and current girlfriend of Yang, Blake Belladonna was stood nervously watching. Weiss smiled at the thought of her best friend watching her perform but she refocused on the task at hand. Starting out with one of her best-loved tracks for years gone by, Weiss got the people in front of her involved, the fake snow still billowing out across the stage as they danced in time to her music, their energy infectious. Each swaying head, each shuffling body was what Weiss performed for; to feel the excitement of the crowd as she blew their minds time and time again.

As the night wore on and progressed into early morning, Weiss tried out some of her new tunes. Most got a great reception, though a couple weren't quite as successful, and she took the time to scan the audience to find her friends in the audience. The members of Yang's fight club were easy to spot, each of them built like a brick wall and most with about as much sense. A few of the other members of the Schnee Music Records that had been able to find the time had showed up, but beyond that Weiss hadn't been able to see anyone she recognised. Neither Weiss' father nor sister had managed to make her performance, and while she didn't mind, it was still slightly depressing knowing that her family weren't here.

Track after track, beat after heavy beat, Weiss played for hours. Sure, tonight had been something of an experiment, but it had definitely been a success. Already, she had some ideas as to where to go with her new album, and if things went as planned she'd be able to work on it on Monday. Whilst the white haired wasn't vain, she'd definitely read the headlines and the articles about her, boldly proclaiming her as the "Hottest Young Talent" or the "Next Big Thing". She only hoped that tonight would prove them right.

Hopefully, that wouldn't be too hard.

As she left the stage, sweating slightly from the heat, Weiss was engulfed in one of Yang's signature hugs. These were a frequent occurrence and came in a variety of strengths, from 'Bone-Crushing' to 'Lethal', but Weiss knew it was just Yang's way of showing her affection.

"You know, you don't have to do that every time we meet." She said after being released.

"Like hell I don't! That was awesome! We should do this every Friday."

Weiss smirked at this: it was _so _Yang to want to go out again, but Weiss had played them out with a ten minute remix of her most popular song, and judging by the audiences reaction, she'd done a good job at it. An encore of an encore just seemed cheap.

"Anyway, I was wondering whether you wanted to come out and celebrate. I mean, we've both earned it."

Weiss rolled her eyes but smiled at the same time. "What did you have in mind?"

"Oh, just a watering hole I know. Trust me, you'll love it."

Weiss nodded and then the two of them prepared for the mad dash through the gathered media to Yang's car. Hopefully, tonight would be as good as Yang promised.

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**3:02, A bus heading through Vale.**

Ruby was oblivious to the strange looks she was getting as she sat on the bus. Her face was illuminated by the scroll held in her hands and everyone was regarding her childish grin with distrust, but even if she had have known about the stares she was getting, she wouldn't have cared. As she had left work half an hour ago, her scroll flashed with a message from her good friend Jaune.

_"Rubes! I've got such a nice video for u! it's downloading! ^^"_

Knowing what it was instantly, she'd had to stop herself from jumping up and down in joy. Jaune had managed to get tickets to the last day of the Slamming Vale weekend and had promised to film it for her and send her the footage when the concert finished.

Through her scroll, Ruby Rose could see a floodlit stage with two figures stood atop it, one behind a set of decks. People were writhing and skanking to the heavy beat that was pumping out from a vast array of speakers and she could practically feel her scroll vibrating in her hand. It was no secret that Ruby idolised the white-clad DJ she was watching, and she felt a pang of jealousy at missing out, but at the same time it was incredible watching it from here. The other figure on the stage stepped forward and began to sing, her voice powerful and melodious.

Ruby smiled: she knew what was coming next, and sure enough the music began to build up. It kept building and getting higher and higher until it peaked and dropped in what Ruby thought was the best she'd ever seen. The video quality dropped dramatically as Jaune stopped filming and started jumping up and down in time to the beat but Ruby didn't mind. She was listening to the recording through headphones that Yang had bought her almost a week ago, and was so engrossed in it she almost missed her stop.

After thanking the bus driver profusely for ensuring she got off at her stop, Ruby headed home still listening to the performance as she walked. It was great listening to DJ WhiteSnow at her best, and Ruby swelled with pride whenever she heard her sister, Yang Xiao Long, join in the music. Yang had only known Weiss for a few weeks and already they were almost inseparable, Yang even working on a couple of tracks on Weiss' latest album.

Initially, Yang had been scouted whilst singing in a local pub, and Schnee Music Records had decided to give her a quick trial. Yang had come in that day, pretending to be mad, only to wrap Ruby in the tightest hug she'd ever been subjected to as she screamed about her new job. With the increased income source the sisters had moved out of the apartment they'd lived in ever since their parents had died and into the small house they now lived in. It wasn't much, but it felt somewhat liberating to be able to call the house their own.

Ever since they had moved in, things had gone from good to great for the two of them. Yang had quickly entered a whirlwind romance with Blake Belladonna, one of the talent managers at SMR, and their enthusiasm seemed to show no signs of abating. Ruby found the passion they showed for each other quite cute, but what truly excited her was knowing that Blake managed Weiss Schnee.

Ruby had always wanted to meet Weiss, and with Yang dating Blake that had become significantly more likely to happen. Blake was a wonderful person, always kind and generous, and Ruby had found herself getting on really well with the faunus. Yang occasionally joked about Ruby stealing her girlfriend from her they got on so well.

Then, four weeks ago, Yang had burst through their front door with one of the biggest grins Ruby had ever seen stretched across her face.

"Rubes! I'm working with Weiss on her next album!"

Both sisters had then spent the next few minutes practically screeching at each other in sheer ecstasy. Yang had finally gotten her big break and Ruby was one step closer to meeting her idol. Since then, Yang had sung with Weiss on two of the nights at the Slamming Vale week and a lot of the songs that had been premiered there were due to be on the next album.

Ruby smiled at the memory. It was comforting to know that their future looked secure for the first time in a long while, and she was glad her sister had found someone she was happy with. Plus, Blake was awesome, so there was that.

Stumbling slightly, Ruby looked around. She'd been paying too much attention to the recording, and as a result she'd taken a wrong turn and was now walking away from her house. Giggling at her own stupidity, Ruby turned around and headed back the own way, only to reach into her pocket and retrieve her phone as a text came through.

_"Hey there, just wanting to let you know that I'm currently in 'The Broken Bottle' with a certain Weiss Schnee. If you can make it, head down! Yang x_"

Ruby checked the text twice just to make sure her eyes weren't playing tricks on her, but sure enough here was Yang inviting her to meet Weiss. Not even bothering to reply, she headed towards the all too familiar bar. Ruby knew it was going to be an interesting evening.

She just had no idea how interesting.

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**See you folks next chapter! Check out In Dust and Darkness and The Tale of Roses and Snow (Should especially check that one out, because it's a key part of the story, and takes event during this chapter.**


	3. Hangover Wake-Up

**Hello there!**

**First I want to say sorry it took me so long to write! Looking at my favorites, followers and reviews, (which are great BTW, thank you guys!) I saw people suggested I should get a beta reader, so I went searching and kinda found one. That's a relief for me, but also for you guys as I want this story to be as good as possible. Hopefully this can be something great and together we can produce a story you all will enjoy.**

**In other news, this story reached the 800 views, and I'm really happy with it!**

**This chapter and the next were both supposed to be the same chapter, but after reading what my beta had put in it, I decided to split them like this. One the plus side, the next chapter should be out within a day or two so you better keep an eye out for that!**

**And the last: Thanks to my beta reader for the help.**

**Favourite, Follow, (Both Story and Author!) Review, read and Enjoy! (I do not own RWBY or its characters, or any of the songs and the locations imported in this story.)**

**-TheBrokenBottle Out!**

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**Saturday 9:02 am, Weiss' apartment, Vale.**

**(After a wild night drinking.)**

The Slamming Vale week had come to an end. Finally!

A deadly silence pervaded the apartment, punctuated only by the occasional tick of the old grandfather clock and the soft, peaceful breathing of Weiss herself. It was odd to her to be sleeping in this late, given that she was usually a morning person, but last night, the 'Slamming Vale' week had ended and she'd given the final performance of the evening in "The Black Rapier". Hundreds had packed in to see the event, and people just walking by who were attracted by the noise had joined in. The show was originally planned to last until eleven o'clock in the evening, but things overrun and Weiss ended up playing her last song close to one o'clock. With Yang Xiao Long acting as songstress for some of the tracks, they played some of their best work, and kept playing and playing, lasers flashing through the roof and the smoke machine working overtime to keep up with demand. Weiss was pretty sure that the noise regulations in Vale had been breached numerous times, but no-one came by to complain and she could have sworn she saw some Police joining in also. Yep, it had been a quality night.

The only thing Weiss could remember was Yang, driving them to a bar at three in the morning to celebrate the end of the Slamming Vale week, but unfortunately, Weiss was too drunk to remember what happened. But it isn't the first time she couldn't remember one of her wild experiences with Yang. She only hoped she didn't overdo it this time.

Sadly for Weiss, the consequences of this were slowly rearing their ugly head. When she had arrived home, head throbbing from both dehydration and the sheer volume from earlier, she had quickly swallowed a painkiller and flopped down on her bed. That was barely two hours ago, and the little sleep she had managed had been less than restful, and every night, she could have sworn her head was worse than the night before. A constant ringing noise in her ear from last night was not only irritating; it prevented her from hearing almost anything and ruined her sense of balance. Her plan for the day was to lie in bed, hugging a cushion and willing her hangover she got from last nights booze away.

Also this didn't end well for Weiss as that plan quickly fell apart.

All of a sudden, a poor quality rendition of an annoyingly familiar song echoed through the house, accompanied by a buzzing sound. Groaning as she realised what it was, Weiss contemplated ignoring her phone, especially as it could barely be heard in her bedroom. Although it wasn't particularly easy to hear due to her ears ringing, Weiss guessed that she had left her phone in the kitchen judging by how loud it was, and at the moment that seemed hundreds of miles away. It would be easy to pretend she had slept through it, and people would probable believe her after the night she just experienced, but in truth Weiss knew she had to answer. Ignoring her phone was not an option although sleeping until five in the afternoon was a beautiful idea to the girl.

"_Come at me.. And you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye... You think that, you'll break me.. You're gonna find in time.."_

The insufferable cheerful voice of Yang was being belted out by the poor quality speakers on her phone, and its regular vibration against the table surface was causing the buzzing sound she heard. Normally, Weiss was thrilled to hear her own songs played and this was one of her favourites, but it was the last thing she wanted right now, especially given that she would certainly get no rest this morning.

Sighing, the white haired turned from her stomach onto her back, lying spread-eagled on the double bed, staring at the ceiling with tired eyes that steadfastly refused to open fully. It wasn't the first time someone had called for a favour in the morning, waking the pale girl, and she very much doubted it would be the last. Grumbling to herself she grabbed a nearby pillow and buried her face in it, trying to block out the sound and give her arching head a rest. Although the pillow did somewhat mute the already quiet ringtone, it was only a temporary solution to what was looking like a permanent problem.

Out of nowhere, the ringtone stopped totally and Weiss could once again get back to hearing that painful ringing echo around her skull and the horrific throbbing of her forehead. Taking in her momentary reprieve, Weiss contemplated spending the rest of her life here. It wouldn't be too bad, and she could always record from the luxury of her own bed. She'd need to change of course, having spent a very warm few hours up on stage and some more in a humid bar, but at the moment she was seriously consi-

"_Come at me.. And you'll see, I'm more than meets the eye... You think that, you'll break me.. You're gonna find in time.."_

"Dangit!"

Weiss grit her teeth in annoyance. Whoever this was seemed determined not to let her enjoy her well-deserved lie in. Pushing herself up slowly, she almost fell straight back down again as blood rushed to her head and her vision swam, causing her limbs to get weak and feeble. The constant throbbing in her head intensified, and she felt like she was going to throw up, but thankfully the feeling passed and the tired DJ was able to shakily head towards the door, her legs still not quite awake. As she stumbled about the house, going in the general direction of the kitchen, she rubbed her eyes to rid herself of the aftersleep feeling she often got when she was woken up by her phone. Weiss definitely enjoyed having a job as an entertainer, but there were certainly downsides to it as well. Getting called when you're sleeping, partying till the morning and working in the studio all day just to find the right sounds to combine were things Weiss didn't particularly like, but experiencing people screaming "WhiteSnow!" and "You're amazing!" at the top of their lungs, watching people yelling to the lyrics and seeing others totally going out of their minds when the beat dropped, made all the bad things worth it.

The display of the white phone that lay on the kitchen table read 'Blake Belladonna', something that puzzled Weiss. The white-haired woman knew one thing from their experiences touring other kingdoms: Blake was most definitely NOT a morning person. The cat Faunus just wanted to stay in her nice, warm bed all day, shielded from the savage cold of winter or the sweltering heat of summer, and on more than one occasion Weiss had been forced to call on Yang to get her girlfriend out of bed. With tuna.

"H-hello?" Weiss' voice was hoarse and raspy as she struggled to get the word out. Squinting against the bright light flooding through the kitchen window, she rubbed her aching temples with her free hand as she talked, wincing with pain and the ringing in her ears reached fever pitch. Her damp hair was stuck to her face, and she took a moment from massaging her temples to brush a few strands of hair away and push them behind her ear.

"Weiss! Good to see you're awake." Blake's voice was full of mirth, but Weiss detected a note of concern. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

Squinting even more than before, Weiss tried to wet her incredibly dry mouth, holding her mouth under the faucet, but because she could barely swallow, she only ended up spluttering down the phone to what was probably a very amused Blake.

"I won't lie." Weiss croaked out, her lips curled up in a chuckle "You did."

Even in the state she was in, Weiss managed to crack a smile whilst talking to Blake; it seemed her friend had a positive effect on her.

"Sorry about that, I just wanted to tell you a few things. Firstly, I apologise for not being there last night after the show. I got mobbed by reporters and press as soon as the performance ended, and I wasn't able to get to you. When the press left, you and Yang were already gone. To a bar I heard?" Weiss held the phone a few inches from her ear to avoid getting deafened by Blake's loud voice this early in the morning.

"Fair enough." Weiss nodded. "Don't mind it."

"So... How was it at that bar? Hope you didn't get too drunk like last time?"

As Weiss held the phone to her face, a thin layer of sweat caused the phone to stick to her skin. She scratched the back of her head as she leant against the kitchen counter that was still dirty from yesterday's meal. Weiss was a huge fan of cooking, having both a good collection of recipe books and a great deal of spare time. A small wooden bookshelf that sat above the refrigerator was dedicated entirely to recipe books, and at any one time at least two would be out on the work surface, opened at a random page for her to try.

"Uhmm.. I can't remember much anymore... Sorry."

Feeling uncomfortable, the white haired pushed herself off the counter and turned towards the kitchen shelves, ready to make breakfast for herself as she clutched her phone between her shoulder and ear.

"However... I need you to come to the studio within an hour." Blake said almost apologetically, causing Weiss to almost cut herself with the knife she was using to cut her bread in shock, her head shooting up and her phone clattering to the floor. Cursing, she scooped it up and, deciding not to take any more chances, she left her food half prepared and entered her living room before falling ungracefully onto the couch, what also wasn't comfortable at the moment.

Due to its importance, the kitchen was one of the largest rooms in the apartment; Weiss having prioritized that above all else. Despite this, Weiss had allowed it to get rather dirty over the past week, her gigs providing a perfect excuse not to clean. With them over, however, she knew she would have to sort things out as she now sat down on a barstool, one of the four around a central cooking island, a sink full of unwashed dishes taking pride of place in the middle. Whilst the kitchen was large, the same couldn't be said of the living room, which housed only two small couches with a black, wooden table between them, a white linoleum carpet covering most of the floor. A top-of-the-range tv was in the corner atop a bookcase, and by its side was a lamp. On one of the grey-painted walls hung a landscape painting, done by Weiss herself during her time at university.

"You what? Blake... I can't... You told me I had a week off..." she croaked out, though this time it was as much from shock as from her sore, dry throat.

"I know Weiss and I'm sorry, but I'm just worried we won't get your next album done on time if we're starting next week. I know I'm a jerk for asking this but I also asked Yang to come over today and she's here now. The sooner you can come in, the sooner both of you can get some rest. Pleasseee Weiss!"

WhiteSnow sighed. Why was she so easy to persuade? During the Slamming Vale week, they agreed that Weiss would have a week off after it finished so she and Yang could rest and reload themselves for work the next week. Apparently, that decision hadn't been thought through properly.

"Okay then." She relented, the irritation in her voice clear for all to hear.

"Really? That's great! I'll see you in the studio at twelve, there's also a surprise waiting as a way of me saying sorry." Blake chirped before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

Dropping the phone on the kitchen counter, Weiss took a deep breath as she let her head hang, still not understanding why she was so easy to persuade. She knew it wasn't good for her health to work after last night, and she would have to walk because she was almost certainly not fit to drive, but she had agreed anyway. She could only hope that Blake didn't try and play her too many samples, because at the moment she could barely hear herself think over that infernal buzzing, much less the intricate art of DJing.

A moment later, the girl made her way back into her bedroom to shower and change before heading into the kitchen, giving a second try on her idea to finish the preparations of her breakfast and leave the apartment.

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**A/N: Just putting this here to say excuse me for the "Spoilers" last chapter in the final A/N:. They weren't the full truth and were really just meant to spice the chapter up, but although not all of these things may come true, there's a lot incoming!**

**-See you guys next time! (BrokenBottle!)**


	4. Surprising Surprise

**Hello guys! BrokenBottle here!**

**Welcome to this, the fourth chapter of Meeting New Rhythms, the third original one because I don't really count a prologue as chapter. Sorry for the length of this AN, but there are a few important things I want to cover before you read this chapter to give you a better understanding of what's going on.**

**Firstly, from now on this story will contain references to real songs, made by real artists. I won't tell you more about it until its more obvious, but this should cover it for now:**

**In this story, Weiss (and some of the other characters) creates tracks and songs, but these are based on real songs. The first instance of this is the recording scene in this chapter. You'll find out exactly which song this is later on. When I put a song in the AN, check it out, and pretend the character in this story made it! It just makes things easier on me.**

**Secondly, this story is only seven days old. I have to thank the 2.000 views, 7 reviews, 21 favourites and 42 followers I've gotten so far! I never thought I'd get this much interest in my work, and to have it in only one week is awesome. You guys are amazing!**

**Finally, I have to thank my beta reader. When I told him about the review saying: "I can't wait for the next chapter & good work", he was very happy with it, and so am I. Asking him if he wanted anything to say in this Authors Note, my beta reader YellowSign responded:**

**YellowSign: Hi all, sorry this took so long. I've been helping out with this story, and it's been a pleasure to work with TheBrokenBottle on her works. Sorry for the slight delay, but I hope this chapter has made up for that. I got the idea for Ruby doing parkour from the excellent, excellent Free Runner AU, which is certainly worth a look in my opinion. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and direct any and all thanks for this to TheBrokenBottle. It's her work not mine. Til next time!**

**He is literally my savior for this story. Thank you from me and the readers!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, the characters, any locations or any songs referenced in this work.**

**Follow, Favourite, Review, Read and Enjoy!**

**-09/09/2014 - I know a few of you guys did mention in a review about the repeating part. I'm sorryyy! But it's deleted, hope it's better understandable now. Bye guys!**

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After finishing her breakfast and saying a silent prayer for the wonder that is called coffee, Weiss set off walking to the recording studio, clad in a simple outfit of skinny white jeans and an ever-so-slightly baggy ice-blue t-shirt, letting her strands of snow white hair flows over it, not having it pulled back in a ponytail. It wasn't her best outfit, and she certainly wasn't dressed to kill like she was when performing on stage, but at the moment Weiss merely wanted to get this over with and return to the comforting embrace of her bed, not thinking of a 'surprise' at all. Earlier that morning, Weiss almost had a panic attack when she peered into the gloom of her garage and noticed a distinct absence of her small but comfortable car. Luckily for her, she vaguely remembered leaving it at some bar or other the previous night and getting a lift home from Yang. That she'd been willing to get in a car with a worryingly drunk Yang was not something Weiss particularly wanted to dwell on, but she made a swift mental note to give the blonde a good piece of her mind.

The walk from her apartment to the recording studio was a simple one, and one she had done many times in the past when she deemed it a nice enough day to avoid driving. The route she took was a gentle one, and passed through some of the nicer areas of Vale, where she was getting recognized by many people as the famous WhiteSnow. But with the constant throbbing of her head, Weiss was seriously struggling. Twice she had been forced to stop to steady herself and let her swimming vision slowly return to normal. Still, she ploughed on, knowing that the sooner she got there, the sooner she could leave. She might even be able to crib a ride off Blake if she asked nicely.

When she arrived at the recording studio, fuming slightly at the unwavering glare of the sun on her delicate eyes, Weiss stepped into the air-conditioned reception and unconsciously let out a sigh of contentment. The dimmed lights and the more reasonable temperature were making it far more bearable than the world outside, and she barely even registered the tired security guard who was about to question her but thought better of it as she passed.

Wandering the familiar halls, the garish patterned carpets even worse in her current state, Weiss made her way towards a place she knew only too well; her own, personal recording studio.

When Schnee Music Records had decided to build a recording studio to help encourage young talent to join with them, Weiss had specifically but nicely asked to have a part of the building dedicated purely to her and her entourage. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this request had been approved, and the whole North wing of the building had been made hers. The divide was obvious, as the maroon and gold striped wallpaper of the rest of the building made way for an almost ethereal blue, the hideous carpets replaced by wooden panelling. Instead of the usual motivational posters and portraits of famous musicians that lined the walls, beautiful landscapes of places as distant as Mistral were placed strategically so as to make the place as aesthetically pleasing to Weiss as possible.

She admitted it might have been a bit much, but Weiss enjoyed her luxuries. Following the hallway to the section marked 'Weiss Schnee' in golden calligraphy, Weiss felt her shoulders relax slightly as she entered; the calming effect of the place immediately obvious. A slightly worried Blake was pacing up and down outside the recording studio, and Weiss took a moment to watch her friend and manager. Blake was now one of Weiss' staunchest friends, and although she was technically her superior, she never abused that power. The two got on great, visiting each other's houses on occasion and always being there when needed.

"Blake!" Weiss called out, still slightly groggy but perking up by the second. The faunus whipped her head round and Weiss could see the relief and joy etched on her face as she took in her charge.

"Weiss! It's so good to see you!" she began kindly, "Have you read the paper today? They've done a whole article on last night, including a highlight section. As you might imagine, you feature quite prominently."

Weiss just smiled at this, pretending to be embarrassed but secretly loving the praise. She walked over to Blake and pulled her into a swift hug, before turning to the recording studio with a questioning glance. Blake's knowing smirk told her all she needed to know, and she slowly approached the closed door. Easing it open as quietly as possible, Weiss tiptoed in to the room, casting her gaze around until she found what she was looking for.

Lying in one of two custom-made chairs, fast asleep and snoring slightly, was one Yang Xiao Long, a thin trail of drool reaching down from her face to pool on the leather jacket she was wearing and marks from her stage make up still on her face. The normally immaculate mane of blonde hair was in disarray, strands covering her face and others sticking out at odd angles. Due to her being asleep, Yang was pulling a strange face, almost like an amusing mix between a snarl and a grin. In short, she looked a mess.

Barely containing her laughter, Weiss retrieved her phone from her pocket and quickly took a few pictures of Yang, making sure to send them on before her singer woke up and could do anything about it. Snickering as she did so, Weiss thought this only fair given the pranks Yang had pulled on her over the years.

Sometimes, it was nice to get some payback.

Having had her fun, Weiss nudged Yang's shoulder, very deliberately picking the one without drool on it, to wake her, the blonde simply mumbling in her sleep. Nudging her harder this time, Weiss got a result and a pair of tired eyelids flickered open to reveal two brilliant lilac eyes. Said eyes blinked a few times to focus everything before Yang started to come to, taking in the amused DJ looming over her.

"Hey Weiss," Yang greeted through a yawn and a stretch, "when did you get here?"

"Not that long ago actually. I walked this morning because I couldn't remember where I'd left my car, but I only got here a few minutes ago."

Yang hummed in response before pushing herself up out of the chair and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked, confused.

"To get coffee. You want me to bring you something back?"

Weiss thought about it briefly before nodding; their quality of work would be much greater if they were both fully awake, and she hadn't had much to drink all morning. Once Yang got back, they could properly get on with the album.

"Hey Weiss, what do you think to shifting the high note up a semi-tone?" Yang asked her through the microphone. Weiss was comfortably leant back in her own leather chair, one hand holding her pale blue headphones, having a black snowflake on both sides, to one ear and the other hovering over the complicated mixing board before her. They'd worked on the basic tune for this song a few weeks ago and had been happy with it, but now they wanted to alter it, neither of them particularly happy with how it sounded.

"Hmm. I don't know, I feel tempted to shift the key signature up a tone for the final repeat, but I can't help but feel that's a bit too much." She mused, an uncharacteristic frown on her face. Weiss was something of a perfectionist when it came to her own work, and she subconsciously ran her free hand over one of the seams of her chair. She'd ordered one made for her as a present to herself on the completion of her first album, and Yang had whined so much Weiss had eventually gotten her a similar one for her birthday last year but the white-haired secretly doubted if it really was for herself, instead of a present for her younger sister. Both chairs were the epitome of luxury, and although Weiss had stopped short of having them monogrammed, she had been sorely tempted to.

Weiss flinched slightly by the sound inside her headphones as Yang exhaled heavily into the microphone, the blonde deep in thought. Pulling the headphones away from her ears lest Yang do something like that again, Weiss tried to think of something else that might work, but came up blank once again. This song just didn't stand out enough. When discussing this album, they'd all agreed to try and go in a slightly different direction, but this song didn't fit. It didn't even have a name!

"Well I guess we could give it a shot?" Yang replied, her tone uncertain. Sweeping her hair back with one hand, the songstress stepped up to the microphone, ready to try out Weiss' idea.

* * *

Weiss lay back in her chair, exhausted. The two girls had spent almost two hours in the recording studio now, and both wanted a reprieve. Glancing up, Weiss saw the clock slowly inching towards 3 pm, and she sighed, frustrated at still being cooped up in here.

She was snapped out of her daze by the unmistakably harsh ringtone that Yang had, the noise blaring its way through the microphone and into her ear. Furious that Yang had actually taken her phone into the recording booth and left it on, Weiss was fully prepared to give Yang a piece of her mind. As gently as she could, Weiss slammed her headphones down on the board before her and glared daggers at her companion. Yang mouthed a quick 'sorry' at her before answering the phone. She seemed to be taking her time, but that might have just been a futile attempt to avoid Weiss' wrath. Either way, Yang sauntered out of the sound-proof booth and stood nervously, awaiting her punishment.

"Yang Xiao Long, how many times do I have to tell you? You do not bring a phone into the recording booth! What if that was an actual recording? I can't believe just how little thought you put into your actions!"

Yang merely looked at the ground sheepishly, trying to ignore Weiss' pointed finger and angry-yet-cute scowl. She knew she'd royally screwed up, but it still wasn't pleasant to be the victim of a full-on rant. When she was sure Weiss had finished, Yang dared a glance at her friend and saw the harsh glare had faded slightly and knew she would be forgiven.

"Sorry Weiss, I honestly just forgot. I was so tired this morning after last night, and that's not the only thing I messed up; you should see how I parked my car!"

Weiss groaned, remembering seeing a vivid yellow Camaro straddling two spaces in the employee car park, but beyond tutting at whoever had been stupid enough to park like that, she hadn't given it much thought. Of course, now that she knew Yang was responsible, she'd make sure to reprimand her friend, if only out of kindness.

"Yang, I want you to take things seriously," she pleaded, "This isn't just a joke, this is my job. You're a great friend, and I love working with you, but you really do make it difficult at times. Can you please at least try to help me a bit more?"

Yang smiled a soft and genuine smile, the kind that told Weiss her words had gotten through to the blonde. "Okay Weiss, I'll try harder for you." So saying she pulled the other girl into a brief hug, the muffled 'thank you' reaching her ears.

"So who was it?" Weiss questioned, curious as to what exactly had been so important that Yang didn't reject the call.

"Oh, it was just Blake. She was letting me know that she's sorted out that surprise she told you about and that I should set off soon."

"Oh." Was all that Weiss said; in all honesty she'd completely forgotten about the surprise Blake had promised her, and had gotten caught up in her work. "Well can we at least give what we've done today a listen?" She asked, sitting down on her chair.

"Sure." Yang replied with a grin as she leant against the recording studio door.

Inviting Yang to sit down next to her, Weiss turned the speakers on, checking that the volume sliders hadn't been knocked by one of the cleaners or Yang in a mischievous mood. Last time that had happened, she'd had to personally apologise to several members of staff who had never met her before for the vibrations that almost shook the building, and that was one conversation she didn't exactly relish having again.

With everything in order, she flicked the switch marked 'play' and sat back in her chair, eyes closed in concentration.

The silence in the room was replaced by a steady beat from a drum machine, a synth coming in gently after a few seconds, pulsating in time with the beat. These parts gradually built up with a faint crescendo until the tempo started to increase and a piano joined in, playing chords as the other parts dropped off and Yang's voice was heard, cutting across the accompanying piano.

Twice more, the drum machine and synthesiser built up to what would have been a drop in Weiss' earlier work, but this time merely introduced the singing again. She wasn't sure about this, but it was better than it had been earlier. As the sample faded to nothing, still only about halfway complete, Weiss allowed herself a small smile: this was definitely on the right track. Now all she had to do was finish it and come up with a damn name, but that could wait for now.

* * *

The ride to wherever they were going, for Yang refused to say, started off uneventfully. Weiss chastised Yang for her parking, the two of them bickered over what radio station they should tune to and Yang spent a lot of time faintly humming a tune to herself, loud enough that Weiss could hear, but quiet enough that she couldn't quite make it out. The usual stuff. It was only when they were comfortably on their way and the digital display told them it was rapidly approaching 3 pm, that Yang decided to spice things up a bit.

"Oh, by the way Weiss; Ruby says thanks for the autograph." Yang nonchalantly mentioned during a lull in the conversation, still looking at the road but the grin on her face told Weiss exactly what Yang's plan was. She had guessed, correctly, that Weiss had no memory of her drunken behaviour and was now testing the DJ to see what her response would be.

"Erm, that's very...nice of her." Weiss began, blushing at the thought of overdoing it that much.

"Oh, she says it's fine, though don't you normally write it out a lot neater than that?" Damn, now Yang had her exactly where she wanted her.

"Erm..."

"And don't you normally try to stay somewhat professional in front of your fans, instead of groping them?"

"_No-Way."_ Weiss began to sweat, that couldn't be true. Right?

Weiss didn't answer that, instead hanging her head in shame as Yang tried her best not to burst out laughing. They remained this way for the rest of the incredibly awkward car journey, until they pulled outside what looked to Weiss like a sports venue, dozens of people swarming around the place.

"In fact, I think you should continue what you were talking about with her earlier. She's over there, go on; say hi."

The blonde's voice snapped Weiss out of her trance, and it took her a moment to work out what Yang was on about. When she did though, her blush returned with a vengeance.

Weiss dared to look at Yang, and the smug smile on her friends face told her all she needed to know. Weiss had no idea what Ruby looked like, and she really, really didn't fancy the idea of going up to random strangers and asking if they happened to be called Ruby Rose. Sighing, she pushed herself out of the car, still worryingly unsteady, and headed towards the people milling at the entrance. It seemed there were a few groups waiting for members to turn up, and any one of them could be Ruby. Well, any one of the girls at least. Weiss was almost dying from embarrassment at her current predicament, and the worst part was just how much Yang was loving it. She had nothing against her friend, but sometimes her pranks went too far.

Luckily, there was a familiar Faunus standing near the entrance.

"Weiss! Yang! Glad you found it okay!" Blake's softer voice drifted through the air and Weiss turned to look at the dark-haired girl, another younger girl in tow. "Weiss, allow me to introduce Ruby Rose, she's Yang's sister, though I don't think you two have ever met." she said, nudging the girl forward.

Had Weiss not been in public, she might have kissed Blake. She had never been more thankful for a friend's intervention, but that thought was swiftly carried from her mind as she examined the bundle of energy that was practically bouncing up and down at Blake's heels.

At first glance, Weiss was having difficulty believing that Ruby and Yang were sisters. Ruby had shoulder-length brown hair with what Weiss assumed were red highlights on the tips as opposed to the veritable mane of hair that Yang possessed. Ruby was also shorter, less stocky and more apparently excitable than Yang, but when Weiss looked closer, she could see more subtle similarities. Both girls had the same sharp jawline, the same slope to their eyebrows and they shared some mannerisms; Ruby was fiddling with the edge of her shirt as she looked at Weiss, a habit the DJ had asked Yang to stop.

Confident that she was speaking to the right person and that Yang and Blake weren't just trying to make her look like a fool, Weiss strode forwards and extended a hand. "Hello Ruby, I'm Weiss. Yang's told me a lot about you." She said with a smile.

Ruby looked at the proffered hand with awe, as though it was sacred or something. Weiss had to bite back a chuckle when she saw Ruby's eyes go wide and her mouth open slightly in amazement.

"Go on, I won't bite."

Ruby jumped slightly at this but hesitantly took Weiss' hand with her own, a squeak coming out of her mouth as she did so. Ruby's hands were surprisingly soft, and as they shook hands, Weiss got a proper look at the other girl.

The baggy grey trousers and scuffed trainers didn't suit her one bit, though the shirt she was wearing caught Weiss' attention. It was a tour shirt from the Achieve Men, one of the groups that had inspired Weiss to get into the music business in the first place, even with parental pressure. Despite the impression they'd made on her, very few people had actually heard of them, so for Ruby to be wearing band merchandise shocked Weiss quite a bit.

From what little Yang had told her, Weiss knew Ruby partook in parkour, and it showed. Whilst not exactly bulky, the muscle mass on her arms was well defined, and watching the way she bounced around on her heels, Weiss gathered that Ruby was eager to go and climb a building or jump off a wall or whatever it was that they did these days. In fact, now that she thought about it, Weiss guessed that Ruby was wearing the outfit that she wore to do so. Honestly? Ruby Rose was greatly intriguing to Weiss, and there was just something about her that Weiss found almost mysterious.

"_What is it with this girl?"_

"Weiss!"

A greeting was shouted from across the car park, causing the young DJ to look round in an effort to identify who was calling her. When she was able to make out the athletic build of Pyrrha Nikos, one of her oldest and best friends, she quickly smiled and waved. It had been a while since the two had last spoken, and if meeting Pyrrha was part of Blake's surprise, then Weiss was more than happy with it thus far.

Behind Pyrrha lagged three others, a scraggly blonde haired boy, barely out of his teens, clad in a dull grey hoodie and jeans named Jaune, Pyrrha's supposed boyfriend even though the two denied it, a vaguely foreign-looking young man by the name of Ren, his hair strangely reminiscent of Ruby's, and a whirling ball of chaos, Nora Valkyrie. Weiss had nothing against them, but she probably wouldn't associate with them if it weren't for Pyrrha. Ren wasn't too bad, but the other two managed to be infuriatingly endearing and annoying at the same time.

"It's so good to see you again Weiss!" Pyrrha began, pulling the other girl into a hug, "I wasn't able to make any of the concerts, but Jaune went to some and said that you were amazing." Pyrrha's arm lingered on Weiss' own as the two shared a moment of reunion, before Pyrrha's friends caught up, Nora instantly zooming over to Weiss and invading her personal space in that oh-so-Nora way of doing things.

"Guys, whilst it's great seeing Weiss again, wouldn't it be best if we saved all the greetings until we're inside?" Blake spoke up, Weiss thankful to her for sparing her even more 'introductions'.

Collectively, the group grumbled to themselves, even Yang joining in briefly, before they headed towards the sports arena, Weiss quickly catching Ruby's arm before she could go.

"Ruby, wait," she began, not entirely sure how to proceed, "do you… do you remember much about, well, about last night?" She cringed slightly as she said this, still embarrassed by her escapades.

Ruby simply shrugged, a look of confusion on her face, "Erm, I'd just finished my shift at work, and Yang texted me saying you were in a bar and that I should come and say hi. I was all like 'Yeah, I've totally got to meet WhiteSnow, I've wanted to see her my entire life!' but you were pretty wasted." She finished with a nervous giggle.

"Oh…" Weiss replied, feeling bad that she'd let down a fan, but Ruby's voice quickly drew her attention.

"Hey, don't worry about it. You seem pretty chill now!"

Ruby's face was paying true homage to her name, and Weiss couldn't help but blush a little herself at the sight. Not wanting to seem foolish in front of someone she didn't really know, Weiss took off at a brisk pace towards the entrance, calling behind her. "C'mon Ruby, the others will be waiting!"

Ruby watched her go with a smile, finding it strange that the girl walking away from her was the same one from last night, and she instinctively clutched the bar napkin in her pocket closer to her.

Last night, when Yang had introduced them, Weiss had been quite inebriated. She was past the 'slurring her words' stage and was well and truly in the 'groping strangers chests' stage, something Ruby had found out when she went to get a breath of fresh air and Weiss staggered after her. She'd apologised immediately, and spent large chunks of the early morning trying to make it up to Ruby and pleading with her not to tell Yang, but secretly Ruby didn't mind. That's why she was clutching the napkin so tightly: on it, in admittedly shaky handwriting, Weiss had written "To the hottest girl in the room" and signed it with a glorified line. To most people, it would have looked like a forgery, but Ruby knew better.

Yes, she thought as she hurried after Weiss, this was definitely going to be an interesting day.

* * *

**Hope you loved it!**

**-Credits to YellowSign for helping me!**

**See you next time! -BrokenBottle out (& YellowSign!)**


	5. Red Like Roses

**Hello everyone! BrokenBottle is in!**

**As before, there are a few key points that are important to the story.**

**Firstly, as you may have already discovered I updated this a couple of days ago with a small AN (the previous "Chapter"). This AN detailed the announcement of a new one-shot called "The Tale of Roses and Snow". In both this and the previous chapter there have been hints towards what happened the night before these events are taking place, or in other words, the night after Weiss' last performance in the Slamming Vale week. Do you still remember the last part of the chapter "Fan for a Lifetime" (the first real chapter, the one after the prologue), with Yang and Ruby? Well, I've been asked if that's the same night this one shot will be based on.**

**The answer's a definitive 'Yes' and the one-shot will explore just what exactly did happen between Ruby and Weiss. Expect it at some time in the not-so-distant future.**

**Secondly, I'd like to apologise for the mistakes last chapter, specifically the repeated chunk of text. Due to a technical problem, my beta and I are only able to exchange work via PM, so it may have been in copying something from that but we're not happy that it happened and we'll avoid it occurring in the future.**

**Finally this chapter: it's a long one with little dialog. That's because this chapter is all about Weiss' inner conflicts, and those are hard to show with dialog. Also, neither me nor my beta are particularly good at dialog, so we stuck with what we knew best. This only really applies for this chapter, and future ones are far more likely to include talking and character interactions. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Saturday 4:00 PM, Vale Sports Arena.**

As Weiss entered the building before her, still speed walking in an attempt to avoid anyone, especially Ruby, from seeing the vivid blush that had crept its way onto her cheeks, she took a moment to think about the past few days that had been the busiest for a good three months. Even though they had been tiring, sapping the white-haired girl of almost all her energy, they were undoubtedly some of the best few days in ages. Already, she was missing the energy, the excitement of her work. Standing on a darkened stage with hundreds of people before her and feeling the bass pulsing through the floor and hearing the murmur that flowed throughout the room. Watching people skanking out to her lyrics, shouting out over the music to anyone who was listening. These were all things that Weiss found intoxicating, the power and control she had as a DJ almost like a drug, a drug she managed and controlled and bent to her will.

Then there were those other days, when she'd put on more intense tunes than usual, and the crowd would go insane, walls of death forming and crashing together with incredible force. Semi-naked bodies, covered in a sheen of sweat, would writhe and contort as she performed, their movements almost irresistible. Certainly, Weiss had caught herself staring a few times, including one unfortunate incident with Yang. Back then, the two hadn't met, and Weiss had been taking in the toned body of her soon-to-be colleague, only to discover later on that Blake was going out with someone who looked suspiciously like a certain blonde she'd been ogling a few days earlier…

Halting her reminiscing for a bit, Weiss cast her gaze around the arena she had just entered, secretly impressed that the wasteland that had been here for so long had actually become something in the end. The well-lit building was similar in many ways to a shopping centre, only instead of a mindless collection of crap being pushed at you, there were spaces dedicated to a number of different sports. Towards the entrance were some of the more popular activities, like paintballing and baseball, and behind each welcoming front was an expanse of land available. Some of them, like the aforementioned paintballing, were little more than a stall, but Weiss suspected that those sports would be done off site.

A harsh buzzing to her left caught Weiss' attention, and she looked over to see a piste, two fencers fully garbed and duelling, the DJ guessing with epee due to the length of the blades. She found herself stopping and she watched a couple of points before moving on. Further along was a dojo of some description, though going by the different styles people seemed to be practicing, it seemed more of a 'do your own thing' session as opposed to anything else.

As Weiss continued to walk along the main hallway, casting casual glances at each of the activities on offer, she noticed an unmistakable mass of blonde hair being pulled out of a boxing ring by a familiar looking faunus.

"But Blaaaaaaake! I wanna do boxing!" Yang's pitiful cry rang out through the arena, the girl herself looking more and more like a spoiled child.

"No Yang, we're here for Weiss today, remember?" Blake replied in a motherly tone, soothing and chastising at the same time.

Weiss couldn't help but smile at the couple in front of her, the endearing sight cheering her up as she stood and watched from a distance, but before she could approach, a flash in a nearby window caught her eye. Perched on a rotating table was an ivory handled duelling pistol, the silver detailing on the side reminiscent of exquisite cutlery in the finest of houses. Weiss had always had a fascination with guns, and when she was a teen, she'd taken up shooting as a form of rebellion against her father. It wasn't that they didn't get on; it was just that she wanted to become her own person, not someone lurking in their parent's shadow.

Wrenching her gaze away, she turned towards her friends, neither of them having seen her yet. Approaching them with a wave, she smiled slightly when Blake noticed and returned the wave with a grin, Yang catching on and welcoming the DJ as well.

"Hey guys, where's everyone else gone?" Weiss greeted as soon as she was close enough.

"Well we were all waiting to give you your surprise when I noticed that _this_ little minx," Blake began, flicking Yang's forehead with the word 'this', "had run off and tried to get involved in a boxing tournament."

Yang pouted at this, crossing her arms over her chest and pointedly looking away from Blake. "I thought we had enough time. Weiss was busy talking to Ruby last I checked, how was I supposed to know they'd be done by now?" Yang said, mumbling slightly as she sulked, although her frown quickly turned into a devious smile as she turned back towards Blake. "And anyway, you don't normally call me 'minx' unless you have something _special_ planned. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? Right here, right now?" She purred to a now very flustered Blake who pushed her lover away and turned to a smirking Weiss.

"You can stop laughing any time you want." Blake pleaded, the words probably intended to be somewhat intimidating, but in her current state they just came out as embarrassed.

"_Not_ gonna happen." Weiss replied, the grin still present on her face as she watched the crimson hue of Blake's cheeks intensify. She was about to come up with a typically teasing remark, but a voice behind her took the words from her mouth.

"What's not going to happen?" Ruby called out, Weiss able to recognise her voice despite barely having talked to her.

"Nothing sis, now come on, we need to meet up with the others." Yang answered, the blonde still smirking.

"Ok!" Ruby responded cheerfully, her hand firmly clasped around a stuffed toy dog. Weiss chuckled slightly at the childishness of this, but it was endearing nonetheless, and her smile remained on her face as she followed the trio through the arena to their destination.

* * *

Weiss stood awkwardly next to her friends and a few others; waiting in line for what she assumed was the present Blake was on about. A large, cheap plastic banner hung over a chipped wooden counter, the words "**Vale Raceway**" crudely painted on. She could only hope they took safety more seriously than they did the entrance. Whilst they had been waiting, Nora had hopped out of the line for a few minutes, only to return with no less than eight separate sticks of candyfloss. Weiss almost found herself feeling physically ill, the sickening concoction of sugar and chemicals wrapped up in a worryingly pink ball of cloud not doing much for her. Perhaps unsurprisingly, most of her present company felt the same way, with only Nora and Ruby expressing any form of interest in the sweets, resulting in them having four each. Weiss sighed as she watched Ruby inhale yet another mass of tooth-decay-on-a-stick, this one a hideous blue. This could only end poorly.

"Weiss? We need you to come here, the party's registered in your name." she heard Blake's voice from in front of her, and she politely moved ahead of Jaune and Pyrrha, the two trying desperately not to stare at each other.

"Name?" a rather miserable looking woman stood behind the counter asked, her tone of voice indicating just how little she cared.

"W-Weiss Schnee." Weiss answered, ever so slightly put off by the bluntness of the question. A quick check on a sheet and the woman pulled out eight keys from a box.

"Boys changing rooms to the left, girls to the right. Any questions, ask a designated member of staff."

Wait, changing rooms? Although it seemed obvious now, Weiss hadn't considered the possibility of changing rooms, and more specifically, sharing changing rooms with Ruby. The girl she had supposedly groped barely 12 hours previously. This revelation brought a blush to her cheeks, both out of embarrassment and shame. Whilst she was certainly attractive and slim, Weiss was a perfectionist, and she often saw flaws in her body that others didn't even notice. Certainly, she thought herself less pretty than she really was. Getting undressed in front of Yang and Blake she could handle, having done it several times already. Pyrrha as well, and although Nora was a bit extreme at times, Weiss got on well enough with her. But Ruby? The girl she barely knew? Weiss was dreading this already.

The changing rooms themselves were nice enough, though that's not saying much when all there was to them was a tiled floor, lots of coat hooks and rows upon rows of lockers. As they entered, another member of staff, this one seeming much more interested, gave them a quick once-over before finding a set of overalls for them each and pointed them in the direction of the available lockers. Which was all well and good until they noticed a problem. A problem that, for Weiss, was a _serious_ problem.

There was a severe shortage of lockers, so much so that there were only three left. Three lockers between the six of them. That meant two to a locker, and Weiss had a horrible, horrible feeling she knew who she'd end up sharing with. She just stood there, staring and the three lockers left, barely hearing Yang question the member of staff or the typically lazy response of "Some of them are undergoing maintenance".

Sure enough, Weiss ended up partnering up with Ruby, Yang deciding for all six girls what the plan was. With the changing room empty apart from the six of them, Weiss was able to find somewhere that afforded a bit of privacy to get changed, pointedly ignoring Yang's calls that she should join in with the rest of them in, as she put it, "The best damn orgy you'll ever have!" Weiss knew that Yang was joking, all of them did, but that didn't stop her face heating up instantly, and caused her to walk significantly faster to the secluded corner she had found. The protective overalls that had been supplied were warm yet strangely comfy, although Weiss didn't relish the prospect of looking like a grease-monkey. Seeing that they fastened at the back, Weiss gathered her clothes up and headed back towards the rest of the group for someone to help her out.

"Hey guys, can you…" she trailed off as she took in the sight before her: most of the girls were in a state of undress, with only Blake clad in her driving gear, but the image that would burn itself into her mind was one of Ruby and Yang fighting, Yang holding what looked like a crumpled piece of paper above her head and taunting Ruby, who was jumping up and trying to reach it. That normally wouldn't have been an issue, but both sisters were wearing practically nothing, Ruby more so. Weiss had to force herself not to look at the seriously well-toned stomach and the way that as she jumped, despite her bra, Ruby's bre-

"Can _someone_ do up my overalls please?" Weiss called out loudly, more to distract herself than anything else. A smiling Pyrrha, now dressed, made her way over to help, noticing the deep shade of red that coloured Weiss' cheeks, ears and forehead. The red-head simply shook her head with what would pass as a grin, amused at her friend's reaction.

* * *

"Ok, I need everyone to listen up!" A well-muscled man, probably in his thirties by the looks of it, shouted unnecessarily at them from only a few feet away. The rest of the potentially embarrassing changing experience had thankfully gone without issue for Weiss, and the six of them had exited the changing rooms to be greeted by a tired looking Ren, claiming that Jaune had suddenly decided he needed the toilet after getting suited. The seven of them waited around for him, Weiss noticing the slight twitches that Nora was making and chalking them down to her impeding sugar rush. That did _not_ bode well on a racetrack.

After waiting for their hapless companion, the eight of them had headed towards a huge indoor arena, three separate racetracks marked out by tyres on the floor and a wooden booth situated near to where they came in. It was at this point that the man, presumably a member of staff, had gone through a list of health and safety regulations, including a worrying clause about liability, before fetching them each helmets. Weiss had been secretly dreading this part, her head still recovering from the past week, and sure enough her fears were confirmed; the sides of the helmet compressing her ears and sending pain shooting through her skull.

Nevertheless, Weiss tried to ignore it, focussing instead on what they were to do. Those who hadn't driven a kart before, all but Blake, were to be given a quick course on how to handle them before having a practise run or two. After that, they'd start doing some racing, limited initially but depending on how they drove the limiters might come off.

Weiss was third to go out, after Jaune, Yang and Pyrrha, and she watched them like a hawk to pick up any and all tips for her turn. The track they were using seemed simple enough, a few tyre walls as safety barriers but nothing too fancy, the course fairly straight-forward, with no sharp turns and a very optimistic run-off area; the speeds reached unlikely to require it, especially limited as they were.

None of her friends seemed to have much difficulty with the circuit, although Yang was typically enthusiastic and almost crashed a few times. The other two drove much more sensibly and both got better times than Yang, Pyrrha coming out ahead of the three of them.

And now it was Weiss' turn.

As she lowered herself in, the bucket seat offering little in the way of comfort, she began the mental process of preparing and steeling her mind in anticipation of what she was about to do. Her heart was pounding at a mile a minute, and even without her gloves on her palms were moistening with sweat. Weiss finalised everything, clicking the harness across her chest and pulling on the protective gloves. With the added insulation, her hands were quickly clammy and slick but she paid them no heed, focusing instead on the upcoming race. Anticipation, exhilaration, apprehension; these were all coursing through the young girl's mind, only to be replaced with a different feeling as she put her foot down: acceleration.

* * *

Still shaking from the experience, Weiss slowed to a halt, the kart feeling alive beneath her. She had never felt more scared, more uncomfortable, more… alive than she did right now, the adrenaline rush continuing to pump through her and sending her heart once again into overdrive. Despite not fully registering her own actions, Weiss found herself exiting the cart, her legs weak and uncooperative as she did so. Finally removing that infernal helmet, she shook her head vigorously to rid herself of the throbbing pain and constant ringing that had been haunting her ever since she put it on.

"Weiss!" a shrill voice called, Ruby moving over to the recovering DJ, "You were amazing out there, it was SO awesome!" she beamed, her cheery expression quickly becoming her norm.

Weiss was about to reply, when a low rumble echoed from nearby, and Blake's face shone red with embarrassment. Hearing the noise, Weiss realised just how hungry she was herself, and likely so were the others. Well, maybe not Nora or Ruby after their diabetes-inducing snack of candyfloss earlier, but she doubted anyone else had eaten anything in a good few hours. Opening her mouth to voice her opinion on food, Weiss felt a bolt of pain shoot down her dry, parched throat and she spluttered slightly from the feeling. A drink would certainly not go amiss right now either.

Yang turned to them all and spoke up, the faintest hint of a grimace on her face, "Well I think we all agree with Blake's stomach: we need a bite to eat."

A general consensus of murmurs and agreements could be heard, until Weiss stepped forward, "True, some food would be nice, but we've got another hour or so left here, and we'd miss all of that if we left now. Besides, I want a drink more than anything else."

This suggestion went down well, and Weiss couldn't help but feel proud of herself for proposing it.

"Have it your way, Snow Angel," Yang joked, "grab us all some drinks and hot-foot back here. If I remember correctly, I DID see a fast-food place on the way in, we'll stop there before we leave."

Weiss was somewhat put off by this, not anticipating doing the fetching herself, but she bit back her frustration and headed towards the changing rooms, fishing the key out for her locker from what seemed to be the only pocket on the damn suit. This had better be worth it.

* * *

The locker room remained as empty as it had been earlier that day, although Weiss felt a slight pang of annoyance at seeing several now-free lockers. Grumbling to herself about this, she made her way over to where the six of them had stored their clothes and, upon finding the correct column, Weiss opened the one she was sharing with Ruby. As soon as she turned the key, Weiss could feel the weight of belongings pressing on the door of the locker, and she opened it as slowly as she dared in a vain attempt to avoid Ruby's stuff falling to the floor. _'That girl!'_ Weiss thought without malice, a small smile making its way onto her unwilling face as she scooped up article after article of scrunched-up clothing from the floor.

She was about to set them aside and begin her search for her wallet, but a scrap of paper on the floor caught her eye. Looking closer, she saw it was a badly folded bar napkin, a scrawl visible through the folds.

_Is that the same thing she was fighting with Yang about earlier?_ Weiss asked herself, hesitant to intrude yet at the same time intrigued by something seemingly as simple as a piece of paper. Letting her curiosity get the better of her, Weiss bent down and scooped it up in her hands. Slowly unfolding it, she gasped in shock and horror at the shaky script, the writing untidy but unmistakably hers.

'To the hottest girl in the room'

It read; a sorry excuse for her signature beneath it. The realisation hit Weiss like a truck, and she almost stumbled to the floor, only the lockers in front of her preserving the little dignity she had left. Had she written this? It certainly looked like her handwriting, more specifically her handwriting whilst drunk, and she had a very, very vague memory involving a bar napkin last night, though how reliable that was remained to be seen. Was this what Yang had meant by the autograph she'd written for Ruby? Weiss felt ashamed and horrified, disgusted at herself for acting like this in front of a fan. If this had happened last night, she would have to apologise to Ruby as soon as she got back from buying drinks; there was no excuse for THAT kind of behaviour.

And yet… Ruby had kept this. And tried to get it back from Yang earlier. That had to mean something, right? Weiss was sure it did, but her distracted mind could only come up with two possibilities, neither of which were ideal.

The first, and potentially better, possibility was that Ruby was intrigued as to why Weiss had written this. _'And groped her'_ Weiss' mind unhelpfully reminded her. Right, that too… Anyway, Weiss considered that maybe Ruby wanted to ask her about it later, which would most definitely be an awkward conversation, but one she knew might happen. She would gently let the other girl down and hopefully not destroy the precious, delicate friendship that had started to grow in the past few hours.

The other alternative was blackmail, something Weiss was quite desperate to avoid. It wasn't as though writing that out was particularly incriminating, it was just that there were quite a few people who would be VERY interested in seeing it come to public knowledge. Weiss could deal with the irritating calls she'd get and the media scrutiny, but she wanted her private life to remain just that: private. Ruby could make a few pennies at her expense and make the next few weeks definitively unpleasant for Weiss.

In her panicked state, Weiss didn't stop to apply logic to her predicament and instead allowed the two conflicting ideas to race around in her head, the potential of either not particularly pleasant. How did she proceed? What would she say when she went back to the others? Could she go back to the others? Weiss wasn't sure, and she spent the next minute having a mini mental breakdown. Only after her heart had stopped thumping in her chest and the fantastic terrors of her imagination had died a death was Weiss able to think straight. Whatever the answer was, it wasn't going to be sorted here, and if she didn't get the drinks she promised people would get suspicious. With that in mind, Weiss shoved Ruby's clothes back into the locker along with the hateful piece of paper, and retrieved her own wallet before locking the damned thing and storming off.

Weiss' return to the group was met with less fuss than she had imagined, though that was hardly surprising considering that they had no idea what had happened in the locker room. She was brought out of her grumbling about the price by a cheerful shout and wave from Pyrrha. Said girl approached the DJ and retrieved a bottle of water from her unconsciously clenched hands before practically downing it in one gulp. Despite her current inner turmoil, Weiss raised an eyebrow at her old friend who simply shrugged.

As the others saw Weiss, they made their way over to claim their own drinks, Weiss feeling somewhat like a glorified pack mule. Nevertheless, she certainly stood up straight when Ruby came for her water, the younger girl fortunately oblivious to the nervousness and embarrassment surrounding her. With all that had happened, Weiss found herself acting odd around Ruby, unable to stop herself from watching the younger girl drink. The way she tilted her head back, the way her throat subtly moved and contorted as she swallowed, these were suddenly riveting to Weiss.

A now-hydrated Blake explained to Weiss that whilst she had been gone the group had gotten more practice and were now allowed to try on one of the harder courses in a race. Because none of them had crashed on their first or second goes, the karts were to be unlimited to give them that extra sense of exhilaration. With Weiss only having had one go, the plan was to limit her kart, but that would put her at a distinct disadvantage, and she didn't want to sit out altogether: even if she had, Blake wouldn't have let her.

Thus began a long, boring conversation with a member of staff. This conversation quickly became a debate, which swiftly developed into an argument, none of which was helping Weiss in the slightest. She felt the lack of sleep catching up to her; not having a meal since breakfast wasn't doing her any favours either. If she was honest, she wasn't up to racing, and she was certainly dreading putting that accursed helmet on again, but this was HER present, HER day out. Besides, she'd look pretty stupid arguing for twenty minutes only to relent because her head started hurting. Inevitably, that decision was taken out of her hands.

"Fine, do what you want, I don't care." He said, disinterested, as he walked away without sparing Weiss a second glance. Feeling pleased at her victory, Weiss returned to her kart feeling slightly smug, though that was replaced by dread as she saw her helmet still resting on the seat.

Sitting down in the seat once again she felt that same surge of adrenaline coursing through her body, her elevated heart-rate and keenly focused eyes testament to that, but as Weiss set off for a second time she instantly regretted her decision. As the others had managed to squeeze in a lap of this track whilst she was busy fetching drinks and finding horrible notes, Weiss had asked for a lap or two to get the feel of driving once more and to learn the circuit. Her head throbbing and her foot resting nervously on the accelerator, she forgot the limiter had been removed and almost shrieked in surprise as she approached the first corner much quicker than she'd been expecting. Only quick thinking and her moderately good reflexes saved her from an early crash, Weiss taking the corner very wide and being forced to slow down for the second corner that was almost upon her.

Fortunately, by this point she had wrestled control back of the kart, though it was still proving to be more of a handful than it had previously been. This track was noticeably longer than the first, and that afforded Weiss the time to settle into something of a rhythm by about halfway round. She could feel herself anticipating the corners and the straights, and she was able to complete the first lap in a reasonable time, especially considering her dodgy start. The second lap continued in much the same fashion, Weiss managing to exit the first corner far cleaner this time and she was well and truly in the swing of things.

As she neared the fourth corner, barely distinguishable from the fifth only a few feet further up, a sudden wave of tiredness and nausea hit Weiss like a wall, her vision swimming and her pulse echoing within her skull. Instinctively she reached for her head, only to be forced to grab the steering wheel once again as she brushed against a tyre wall. Weiss knew she should stop, but a small, stupid part of her brain told her she needed to prove herself to the others, to Ruby and she pressed on, only able to see a vague blur through the pain she was enduring. Gritting her teeth beneath her helmet, Weiss forced her mind to think about something, anything that would take her mind of the pure agony that was running between her temples like lightning, and before long she found something.

Ruby.

Weiss thought of Ruby's laughter, Ruby's boundless energy, Ruby's infuriating naivety. Weiss thought of just how much today had revolved around Ruby, and she made a pledge there and then to m-

* * *

**POV : Ruby**

Ruby was bouncing up and down on her heels, watching with a grin on her face as Weiss did her second lap. After a shaky start, Weiss had quickly got into the hang of things, and was beginning to look like a serious contender, much though Yang would inevitably deny it. Weiss had something of a natural affinity for these things, and Ruby certainly wanted to go racing with her again, even though she was sure she'd let her idol down somewhat. They seemed to get on quite well at first, and if only Yang had given her the autograph Weiss had written her the previous night back earlier, she would have happily declared the day perfect.

Her childish glee gradually turned into a sense of horrifying realisation, however, as she saw Weiss veer slightly out of control, right herself and then accelerate straight into a tyre wall, the harness fastened around her not acting quickly enough to stop Weiss' head slam into the steering wheel at pace, the suddenness with which she stopped causing all who watched to gasp with dread. Without thinking, Ruby vaulted over the protective barrier and climbed over the mesh cage barely missing a beat. Her legs pumping, she jumped over a tyre wall and sprinted to where the wreckage was, vaguely aware of Yang's shouts and a medical team behind her, but none of that was important right now. Only Weiss mattered, and Ruby was determined to get to her first.

* * *

**POV: Weiss**

Weiss felt something heavy be lifted off her chest, and instinctively her lungs tried to fill with Oxygen. Attempting to open her eyes, a creeping sense of panic enveloped her as she realised she couldn't, and she tried desperately to move an arm before quickly abandoning that when almost unbearable agony shot through her. Through her closed eyes, Weiss could see the world around her brighten and she felt a breeze brush past her ears, the world around her suddenly noisier and louder than before. Though she could hardly make it out, Weiss was sure she heard a voice calling out her name. That was the last thing she remembered before relaxing and embracing the dark comfort of unconsciousness.

_As you take me by the hand_  
_no beginning and no end_  
_is it real or pretend_  
_is it lies or the truth_

"Miss, I'm going to have to ask you to stand aside."  
"No! I won't leave her!"  
"It's for her own good, we NEED to get her to the ambulance."  
"Oh god. Weiss!"

_all these voices sound the same_  
_someone whispering your name_  
_am I lost am I insane_  
_reminded of you_

* * *

**Ooh, Cliffhanger. Sorry guys!**

**Hope this chapter wasn't too long? **

**These last Italic sentences are lyrics of a real existing song, that was referenced a few times before in this story, pretending like Weiss made it. This song was supposed to be in just for fun, but when you see it's name you'll think: That suits really well. So check out the next AN (and the story ofcourse!) to get the name of this song!**

**See you guys next time! **

**BrokenBottle Out!**


	6. Insomnia

**Hello readers, BrokenBottle is back!**

**Really, really sorry it took so long to upload this chapter, but both me and my beta are really, really busy. With school, work and stuff going on, things are quite hectic, but we'll keep working when we can spare the time. And as always: we love to get feedback and we're grateful for every viewer.**

**In case you missed the announcement last time, here's what's coming up:**  
**-A one shot: The Tale of Roses and Snow, dedicated to Weiss and Ruby's first meet in this story. **  
**-Deviantart. TheBrokenBottle (Me) is working on deviantart with the aim of making things for this story. Currently, I'm making a sketch of Yang (the official concept art) to show you guys what I can draw, then the real stuff will come.**  
**-Another announcement: From next week, there will be a second story in progress called 'In Dust and Darkness'. If you want to know what it's about, check out my profile for the summary, but we're aiming to have the first chapter of that story done before the eight of this one. **

**YellowSign: Sorry for the delay guys, we've both had a huge amount on our plates. Whilst I will continue working on this and other fics with TheBrokenBottle, I'm starting university very soon, so my available time will drop dramatically. All I can do is apologise both to you guys and TheBrokenBottle, but it's a new stage in my life and of course I'm going to go for it. Hopefully, you can stick with us through this and we can enjoy this story together. 'Til next time!**

**The song referenced the previous episode was: Lazy Rich - Insomnia. (That's why the chapter is named after it.)**

**That's all!**  
**Read, favourite, follow, review, comment, PM etc. and Enjoy!**

* * *

Weiss was currently bored. She was experiencing a great deal of emotions at the moment, including frustration and not a small amount of confusion, but the prevalent one was definitely boredom. Ever since she'd inexplicably woken up in a tiny, cramped room barely big enough for the lumpy bed she was lying in, Weiss had been bored out of her skin, and nobody would stay long enough for her to ask exactly why she was in hospital or when she could leave.

She took this time to look around the room, taking in what little there was to see. The white paint on the four walls and ceiling gave off a bland vibe, and were about as interesting as bread and water. Slightly unbalanced, a single wooden chair was resting against a cabinet, supposedly somewhere to keep things for those who were staying for a while, but Weiss had absolutely no intention of that. Even the single door that allowed access to the room managed to be boring; the cream-coloured paint an exhibition in blandness. And that was it. The full extent of the room: dull walls, pointless door, a wonky chair and a place to store clothes that she wouldn't be using. Great.

After yet another nurse came by and claimed not to be able to spare ten seconds to explain what was going on, Weiss lay back on the uncomfortable bed with an exasperated sigh. What had happened? Why was she here, in a hospital? She certainly couldn't remember anything, and the current environment wasn't helping her in the slightest. The only indication as to why she might be here was the stiff ache in her neck that intensified any time she tried to turn her head. If only Yang or Blake were here; they usually knew what to do. Well, Blake did; Yang would more often than not end up somehow getting her into some sort of embarrassing situation either by accident or malicious intent, but Weiss didn't really mind. She'd grown fond of the brute in their short friendship, and the two girls would stick by each other to the end.

Not registering the smile that had found its way on to her face, Weiss sat up slightly. If she was to be here for a while, she could certainly make herself slightly comfier, and with that in mind she got out of bed, her bare feet feeling the cold as she did so. Given that Weiss was clad in a hideous hospital gown, the kind that no-one would ever consider stealing, and the fact that she doubted she had been naked when they took her in, she reasoned that there must be some of her clothes in here, most likely in the cabinet.

The smile on her face grew wider as she was proven correct; a pair of skinny white jeans and a slightly baggy blue top were folded neatly next to a pair of comfortable shoes in one of the draws. Next to them, her underwear had been delicately placed; the thought of them being removed caused Weiss to flare up magnificently.

Still, if she was in hospital, it had to have been for a good reason. She only hoped that good reason wasn't 'overdid it the night before', especially considering that one of the few vague short-term memories that were floating around in her head was of Yang and her heading into a bar. What happened after that, she did not know, but she resolved to find out as soon as possible.

"Weiss!"

A blur of black and red latched itself to the surprised young girl, arms clasping tightly behind her back and head burrowing into her shoulder.

"W-what? Get off me!" She exclaimed, startled and a bit miffed by the sudden appearance of whoever this was. Though she wouldn't admit it, her neck seized up at the contact and she was unable to move it, Weiss instinctively breathing in through her teeth to mask the pain.

"Sorry Weiss, I was just so worried for you. We all were; Blake's been frantic with worry and Yang…well Yang's been pigging out on food, but she's worried too!"

Managing to free herself from the vice-like grip, Weiss took a step back and had a look at her attacker. She was a young girl, maybe early twenties, though probably a bit younger than Weiss herself. A mop of brown hair lazily covered her head; the tips presumably dyed a muted red that somehow seemed to fit. About her surprisingly muscled frame hung a loose black t-shirt, the logo of the Achieve Men emblazoned on the front, and some baggy grey tracksuits hung far lower than Weiss would ever deem appropriate. The girl's face was full of concern, and she was nervously fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as Weiss looked her up and down.

_"Well at least she has good taste in music."_ Weiss thought, though her overall impression was less than glowing. Still, she did seem to know who Yang and Blake were, so Weiss assumed she must be another one of the singers Blake managed. It made sense: she didn't meet with all of them, and they all respected her to a greater or lesser degree.

"Look, if you could just point me in the direction of Blake I'd really appreciate it." Weiss began, trying to get passed this girl with as little fuss as possible. She had no idea what was going on and all she wanted to do was get out of here as quickly as possible.

Had she been paying full attention, Weiss would have noticed the girl's face drop ever so slightly, but the original nervous stare returned quickly and she nodded hesitantly.

"Sure, but don't you want to get changed first?"

"R-right." Weiss stammered out, suddenly apprehensive about the whole situation. After making sure she wasn't being watched, Weiss changed as quickly as she could. She had let the other girl stay in the room once she'd turned around, but only because she didn't want to be calling after her to make it known she was done.

"I don't know if they told you, but it's now Sunday." Her companion began nonchalantly. Weiss stopped instantly, still practically naked. The discarded hospital robe lay pooled around her feet, and the effect of wearing almost no clothes was beginning to show in the slight shivers that wracked her shoulders and goosebumps present on her arms.

"What!?" Weiss practically screeched at the back of her head. She had honestly no idea what time it was, but she'd expected it to be early on Saturday, maybe about lunch time at a push. For it to be Sunday was more than a little disconcerting and she was so put out she forgot her current predicament and state of undress. "How can it be Sunday already?"

"W-well when the ambulance picked you up it was about six o'clock on Saturday and you were out for quite a bit," her companion rambled, "then when we got to the hospital they told us we couldn't stay overnight so we slept in Blake's car and then as soon as we could get in I rushed to find you. Blake set off too, but I think she got lost."

Ambulance? Why did Weiss need an ambulance? Something seemed very suspicious about this whole thing, and she was about to ask why when a breathless figure burst into the room, her ears atop her head drooping from exhaustion.

"T-there you…you are Weiss." A familiar voice panted, Blake resting her hands on bent knees as she struggled to regain her breath. As per usual, she wore a form-fitting black leather jacket over a white t-shirt, an outfit Weiss had quickly come to realise was her favourite, and some skinny light-grey jeans completed the ensemble. It had just the right amount of professionalism to it for Blake to seem believable as a manager, but was casual enough that she could go anywhere and not look out of place.

After her breathing had slowed somewhat, Blake got a better look at the room in front of her, and immediately blushed and glanced away.

"Erm, Weiss?" Blake hesitantly murmured, "Are you feeling ok?"

Weiss was puzzled: why wouldn't she be feeling ok? Sure she was a bit bored, but now that Blake was here she hoped they could go. All she needed to do was finish getting dre-

"Argh!" She screeched, swiftly moving her arms to cover her bare chest,

"Out! Both of you out!"

* * *

After being practically shoved out of the room, Blake and Ruby stood outside the hurriedly closed door with a mixture of bemusement and embarrassment etched on their faces. Though Blake had seen it first, Ruby had instinctively turned round when Weiss screamed at them and _damn_ if she hadn't enjoyed the view. She knew she shouldn't think like that, and she was definitely not about to tell Yang about it, but she'd certainly looked longer than she perhaps should have.

"B-Blake?" Ruby nervously began, earning her the full attention of her friend.

"Yes Ruby?" Blake replied, though she had a good idea as to what Ruby was going to ask.

"I was just wondering. About, you know, Weiss…"

Blake sighed. It wasn't that she didn't expect this question; it was just that she had no idea as to how to go about answering it. Did she bring up her suspicions as to Ruby's feelings towards Weiss? Did she mention that both she and Yang had seen Weiss in similar states of undress before? Granted, the circumstances were somewhat different, but it still raised an interesting point. Realising she had no real way out of this, Blake replied as sensitively as possible, the cringeworthy look that had played out on her features cementing itself even further.

"Well she's a great person," Blake stalled, "and I don't think she blames you for what happened. I'm not even sure she remembers."

Ruby sent her a quizzical look, and Blake answered the unasked question.

"I spoke to a doctor whilst you were charging off, and she has pretty severe concussion and whiplash. Because of this, she likely won't remember anything that happened yesterday…" Blake trailed off, not finishing the sentence. Both of them knew what she would have said, but somehow it felt too raw to bring up: if Weiss didn't remember the previous day, she wouldn't know who Ruby was, despite having spent most of it in close proximity to the energetic brunette.

An incredibly awkward silence descended on the pair, and they both secretly wished for Weiss to hurry up and break the awkward cloud that had descended on them. Fortunately, after a few forced coughs from Blake, Weiss emerged clad in her clothes from the previous day. A light pink dusted her cheeks from embarrassment, and her facial expression was one of slight revulsion. Both Ruby and Blake tried to say something but she cut them off.

"I do NOT want either of you mention this to anyone, is that clear?" When neither of them said anything she spoke up again, this time louder.

"Is. That. Clear?"

After receiving mumbled affirmations from the other two girls, Weiss stood up somewhat straight with a smile to disguise the pain shooting through her neck.

"Good. Now Blake, why exactly am I in hospital, when can I leave and, perhaps most importantly, who is this?" Weiss asked, pointing to Ruby as she did so.

"I spoke to a doctor earlier; they said that as long as we look after you for the rest of the day and take you straight back here if you start to feel worse, you can leave in our care." Blake dutifully answered. "As for your other questions, we'll answer them in the car."

Weiss seemed satisfied at this, and once she'd managed to corner a doctor, who seemed willing to talk to her now she had company, she was discharged into Blake's care with some painkillers and led gently out of the hospital. Despite her near constant insistences that she was fine and didn't need looking after, her companions saw threw her façade and resolved to do just that, at least until she truly _was_ fine.

As Yang drove them home, driving slower than she was wont to do out of respect for her friend, the four girls spent a good amount of time talking. Most of the journey back to Weiss' place was filled with explaining to Weiss what had happened, introducing a suddenly bashful Ruby to her for a third time and Blake's almost constant apologies for the incident. Whilst Weiss appreciated her manager's concern and regret at what had happened, it was still somewhat annoying and she was grateful when Yang kindly asked her girlfriend to stop. Weiss had found herself staring at Ruby, wondering what it was about this girl that made her so special. Wondering why the two of them had been blessed with three greetings. Wondering just who she was.

From what Blake had told her, Ruby had spent most of the night sat up in the car gazing mournfully at the dull concrete of the hospital, and that kind of dedication felt unusual somehow to the DJ, unusual but not unpleasant. If what they'd told her was true, she'd been out for quite a while and she felt privileged to have three people who were willing to wait in an uncomfortable car overnight just so they could help her in the morning. Three friends who put her needs above their own, even when it seemed like it was her fault she crashed. Apparently they had to physically restrain Ruby from entering the ambulance as it sped her away to safety, and Weiss was touched by this gesture.

"Weiss, what's that word for someone who doesn't sleep?"

Weiss' thoughts were interrupted by Yang's question, and she was slightly taken aback by the genuine curiosity in the singer's voice; Yang usually found out her own answers and made them up if she didn't like the real ones.

"Well I guess you could say Ruby," she began, earning her the desired reaction of a pout from the girl sat beside her, "but I believe the word you're searching for is 'Insomniac'."

"That's it!" Yang shouted, jumping up in her chair and raising her hands, completely forgetting that she was driving. Only a panicked action from Blake to grab the steering wheel prevented them from veering wildly out of control.

"Focus on the road!" the Faunus barked at her girlfriend, the sheepish smile she received in return having no effect on her.

"Sorry," Yang mumbled, "I got distracted. Anyway, that's the name of our song: Insomnia!"

Weiss mused it over. Insomnia. Insomnia, insomnia, insomnia. Yes...it worked. Slowly turning her head with a nod, she beamed at the blonde girl "I agree. I don't know why, it just...works."

Feeling she had accomplished something, Weiss sat back for the rest of the journey, content.

* * *

Even though it was only about one in the afternoon, Blake and Ruby insisted on accompanying Weiss for the rest of the day. Apparently one of the doctors had asked Blake to keep an eye on her for 24 hours at least, and as soon as Blake had mentioned it to Ruby, she'd practically begged to be allowed to help out. Yang couldn't stay, citing some form of boxing tournament she was either watching or quite possibly taking part in, but she gave all three girls her best wishes and a parting gift of a kiss for Blake.

As they waved her off, Weiss turned to go inside but a hand on her shoulder stopped her, and despite herself she turned to look, wincing in pain as her bruised neck muscles twisted in ways they weren't meant to. Ruby stood next to her with something resembling a scowl on her face, and what she probably thought was an authoritative expression but Weiss found it incredibly cute.

"Weiss, the doctor said to take it easy. That means me and Blake are going to look after you for today." She explained, still scowling somewhat. Weiss contemplated arguing back, but after seeing that Blake wore a similar expression to Ruby she realised she would never win, so with a sigh she nodded and accepted her fate.

Said fate turned out to be far more pleasant than she had anticipated, and before long she found herself laughing along with her two friends. After quickly showering and changing into pyjamas, Weiss lending Ruby and Blake a pair each, they pushed the two sofas together, draped a blanket across them and snuggled together to watch some of the frankly embarrassing rom-coms that the majority of Weiss' DVD collection comprised of. Part way through the second film, Weiss constantly calling out the drivel that passed for dialog and the acting that she claimed was 'offensive', Blake rang through a takeaway.

It arrived as the film finished, and they took a mini-break to eat. During this time, Weiss had ended up sat between her two friends, with Ruby sharing her sofa and sat to her left and Blake on a different one to her right. As they ate, the room filling with the scraping of takeaway containers and the muffled chewing of all three, Weiss thought back at just how much each of them had done for her. How much each of them meant to her.

Without thinking about it, Weiss draped an arm over Ruby's shoulder and pulled her closer until her head was resting on Weiss' collar bone. The red highlights of her hair brushed over Weiss' soft skin, and the slight changes in pressure as Ruby chewed caused the hair to tickle her ever so slightly but she paid it no heed. Blake leaned over and gave Weiss a one-armed hug, which the DJ was quick to reciprocate, and they finished the meal like this, the unspoken words so much stronger than anything they could have said.

* * *

Once there was no more food left, Blake did a quick tidy up and promised to tackle the mountain of dishes that carpeted most of the kitchen, but Weiss insisted she sit down and watch one more film, to which she begrudgingly agreed.

It was a film about a dystopian future, where people fought to survive, but Weiss wasn't focusing on that. The already cosy warmth of the blankets and her pyjamas was combining wonderfully with the body heat of the girl sat next to her, and she pulled Ruby closer once again. Weiss couldn't place it, but there was something about the seemingly endless energy that Ruby seemed to possess that put her at ease, and she felt instinctively safe sat next to her. How someone she'd only really met the previous day could have this sort of effect on her she had no idea, but she resolved to just enjoy today and relax with her friends.

As the film crawled to an end, Weiss realised that Ruby had drifted off at some point and was now snoring gently into her arm; an endearing sight but one that would lead to her arm going numb, so she gently removed it.

"Weiss," Blake whispered in an attempt not to wake her friend, "I'm going to get you a glass of water to have with your painkillers. Is there anything else you want?"

She shook her head, trusting that she'd be able to last the night without incident. Already the haze that had shrouded her thoughts for most of the day was showing signs of lifting, though her neck would likely be sore for a week or two. Graciously accepting the glass and tablets from Blake, she swallowed the necessary medicine and settled down into a more comfortable position. Though it was still only early evening, Weiss was noticeably tired and knew she needed sleep, so she pulled the blanket up to her chin and closed her eyes, intent on resting.

Something pressed into her side prevented her from doing this, however, and she delved beneath the covers to find the offending object and, upon grabbing it, she lifted it up triumphantly to get a better look. Clutched in Ruby's hands was a soft plushy dog, its face pulled into a stupid grin and its ears flopping at odd angles. The girl herself wore much the same expression, and Weiss was struggling not to wrap her in a hug it was _that_ adorable. Still, she knew that doing so would wake Ruby and she couldn't bring herself to do it, no matter how much she might have wanted to do so.

"I'm going to sleep now Weiss, do you mind if we sleep here?" Blake asked kindly.

"It's fine, I think we could all do with some rest." Weiss replied, a yawn stretching her features as she did so. So saying, the two of them snuggled down into the little comfort afforded by the sofas and before too long the only sound to be heard in the apartment was the slow, gentle breathing of the three girls as they drifted off into slumber.


	7. Colouring Scarlet

**AN: Hey there and welcome to the latest chapter of ENR! Sorry for the delay in getting this out, it's just both me and YellowSign have been incredibly busy. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank him for all his input; he's managed to find the time to edit this despite doing a very tricky and time-intensive course at university (chemical engineering for those who are interested), and although I know I won't be able to rely on him as much, I hope we can still work together on projects like this.**

**This chapter is mainly filler, though it does introduce a few important themes. Because of how we've been working, I'm hoping to get the next chapter out within a few days, though there may be an extended break after that. Please bear with me for this, and I know that one of the reasons people like my work is because of the semi-frequent updates, but real life has to come first sadly.**

**YellowSign: Thanks for continuing to read this, it makes both of us really happy to know that people are willing to read our work. Unfortunately my time is now very limited, and because of this fic I haven't updated my own in over a month, but I'll do what I can to keep this up to scratch.**

**Read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

* * *

When Weiss awoke that morning it was to the unmistakable smell of a cooked breakfast. The aroma of crisping bacon, sizzling sausages and frying tomatoes wafted through her apartment and instantly made the transition between sleep and awake more bearable. Weiss was unusually warm for this time of year, and it took a moment to realise the reason why. Snuggled up to her with one arm lazily draped over her chest was a still fast asleep Ruby, her face relaxed and blissful.

Though she tried to resist it, Weiss ended up running her hands through the soft mop of hair that adorned Ruby's head, the almost silky feel caressing her fingers as she did so. There was something so intriguing, so fascinating about Ruby that Weiss was desperately trying to figure out, and it seemed that regardless of how she tried to proceed, she was being drawn closer and closer to the younger girl. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing; Ruby was kind, gentle and as supportive as her sister, but Weiss couldn't help but feel that she was almost obsessing over her sleeping companion.

"Hey there," she whispered to the still-sleeping form in front of her, "thanks for looking after me yesterday."

She meant it. It had been a long time since someone who was practically a stranger had helped her out like Ruby had the previous day, and whilst she suspected a lot of it was due to Blake's and Yang's influence, it was still nice to have someone be that supportive.

The screen between the living room and the kitchen slid open momentarily, allowing the smell of cooking to fill the room even further. Blake stepped through, the faunus wearing some of Weiss's clothes, though they didn't exactly fit and Weiss was mildly irritated to be reminded just how much shorter than her friend she really was.

"Oh, good morning Weiss! How are you feeling? The doctor said that you should start to feel better now, but you're still taking it easy for today."

The white-haired girl merely nodded, content to submit to doctors orders. Besides, she didn't feel quite right yet, though she was certain that breakfast would improve her condition no end. Her movements must have stirred Ruby from her sleep, and a surprisingly large yawn stretched across her pale face, Weiss feeling both guilty for waking Ruby up and delighted at seeing such a cute sight.

"Huh? Oh, morning Weiss. I didn't know you were up."

Ruby wiped the sleep from her eyes and turned tired smile towards the girl she was snuggled next to. Had it been anyone else, Weiss would have quickly pushed them off and denied any knowledge of the events, but the was something about Ruby that made her more at ease, more willing to open up. Weiss realised she was still running her hands through the other girl's hair, but Ruby didn't seem to mind and although it caused her face to heat up with a fierce blush, Weiss continued to do so, humming a quiet melody as she worked.

"Breakfast's ready!"A loud voice from the kitchen called, and both Ruby and Weiss looked at each other before sliding the blankets they'd been lying underneath to the floor and heading into the kitchen/diner.

Blake had cooked for Weiss a few times before, and each time she'd shown a remarkable affinity for turning out good quality food from scraps that were left over. This time though, Blake had the luxury of a fully stocked fridge courtesy of Weiss's sister who had popped round the previous day. Apparently she'd wanted to see Weiss in hospital, but unfortunately her time was very limited, and she'd instead left an answerphone message for Weiss to listen to when she got in. All of this was explained to Weiss by Blake as she tucked in to one of the most delicious meals she'd ever had the pleasure of eating, though that might have been more circumstance than anything else.

Even with such a bountiful meal, Weiss's attention kept drifting from her food and Blake's words to the other end of the counter where Ruby was perched on a stool eating her own portion and seemingly enjoying it.

Had she thought about it properly, Weiss would have found herself repulsed at staring at someone else eating, but there was something about Ruby that intrigued her to such an extent that she was willing to overlook a lot of her ingrained mannerisms and pleasantries.

"Hey, Ruby? I don't know if I told you yesterday, but thanks for looking after me. Obviously I can't remember a lot of what happened over the past few days but I'm glad you're willing to help me when I need it. Blake too, but I guess I kind of expect it from her."

Weiss had meant that last part as a compliment, but Blake put on a fake pout and sauntered over to her, one hand resting against a hip whilst the other hung freely, and placed a quick, chaste kiss on her forehead.

Before Weiss could respond she saw Ruby flail around wildly as her stool slipped out from underneath her and she crashed to the floor unceremoniously, one arm knocking the remnants of her breakfast all across the table. Both Weiss and Blake hurried over to where she lay rubbing her shoulder, Ruby looking decidedly embarrassed. After helping her up gently and sitting her on another stool, Weiss having to assure her this one _definitely_ wouldn't fall, the two girls set about clearing up the mess that had been made and washing the dishes to save doing it later.

For some unknown reason, Weiss found cleaning therapeutic and her time sorting out the kitchen with Blake was a good time to relax. It was also the time when Blake casually dropped into conversation that she was still recovering from some painkillers and was thus, as Blake put it, "in varying stages of lucidity and unusually cheerful". The way Blake mentioned it so calmly alarmed Weiss as she would have thought something like that merited more attention, but it was something of a blessing. Weiss used it as an excuse for the unusual feelings she'd been experiencing that morning regarding Ruby, though if she was honest she knew knew that there was more to it than that.

* * *

After finishing the tidying up, all three girls sat on the settee they had slept on the previous night and enjoyed a nice cuppa. Ruby and Weiss had quickly gotten changed into comfortable but casual clothes, and after the excitement of the previous week or so, they felt it was only right to have a nice change of pace.

"Hey Blake? Do you ever, you know, find you have difficulty saying things to Yang?"

Ruby's question came out of the blue, and both Blake and Weiss was somewhat thrown by it but Blake answered nonetheless,

"Well I guess, but I've learned by now that she's so honest and willing with me that it's hard not to be the same in return. Why do you ask?"

In response Ruby merely took a deep sip of her tea and stared off into the middle distance, murmuring to herself. In any normal situation Weiss would have questioned this, but she was content to just let things lie.

Very little was done that day, as Blake was reluctant to let Weiss back into the recording studio after experiencing trauma like she had, and all three were perfectly willing to enjoy each other's company. They talked about all manner of things, from Weiss's album to world events and all the while Ruby became more and more infatuated with her idol. There was just something about the way Weiss talked and acted that attracted her. Obviously Weiss was beautiful; any idiot could see that, but the way she handled that beauty and the fact that she was more than just a pretty face with things that _really_ turned Ruby on.

Inevitably though Blake had to go, citing something about picking Yang from a boxing tournament, and without a ride otherwise, Ruby had to go with her. Though she would never admit it Weiss was secretly disappointed at this, the white-haired girl hoping to spend the rest of the day with her new friend but it was not to be and the two girls were about to leave.

"Now if you need anything else, just ask. I'm only a phone call away and right now you're my highest priority."

Weiss smirked at this; Blake often reverted to 'mum mode' and it was something that the faunus didn't even seem to realise she did. Ruby was fussing around with her phone in one hand and Weiss' in the other, desperately trying to add her as a contact, and when she had finished she approached the DJ with a gentle smile.

"Thanks for a great time Weiss, I'm really glad you decided to let me stay."

Weiss had planned a kind and gentle response, but all rational thought was taken from her mind when Ruby quickly went up and kissed on the cheek. Said cheek flared up magnificently and heat rose throughout her face in an impressive blush. Weiss had been totally unprepared for this, and judging by the look on her face so had Blake, the black haired girl utterly in shock.

"Come on Blake, we can't be late." Ruby called behind her as she headed out the door, Blake nodding dumbly and following her leaving Weiss alone.

Fortunately, Weiss' scrambled thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone, the young girl vaguely aware of Ruby pushing it into her hand a few seconds earlier. Answering automatically without checking the caller ID, Weiss lifted the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Weiss? Ah good, I was worried you weren't okay. The hospital contacted me to tell me what happened on Saturday and whilst I was unable to make it myself, I tried to get hold of you but your phone was off. How are you by the way?"

Despite the startling events just a few seconds prior, Weiss smiled. Getting a call from her father always cheered her up even if he was a little rough at times, and she had wondered why he hadn't spoken to her about any of the past few days. There was just something about his voice that was so relaxing you could almost find yourself drifting off listening to it, and the soothing baritone drifted through the speakers of her phone and calmed her racing heartbeat.

"I'm fine father, it was just a little knock."

"It didn't sound like just a little knock, from what I was told you were unconscious for awhile."

"That's true, but I had a good quality helmet to protect me and the doctors were fine to let me go so I think we should go with their judgement."

Duncan Schnee hummed at this, and Weiss wasn't sure whether he was agreeing with her or displeased. After an uncomfortably long pause he spoke up again.

"I suppose so, but I'm still happy about them letting you go in that state. Did you at least have someone with you?"

Now it was Weiss's turn to be quiet, the DJ for the first time realising just how much she had come to rely on Ruby, Yang and Blake over the past few days. As she thought about it she realised that she valued Ruby as one of her best friends, more even than some of her good friends like Pyrrha and Jaune, despite only knowing her for a very short time.

"Yes dad, Blake and Yang's sister helped me. We ate a takeaway and watched films last night before they looked after me and made sure I got some rest."

This at least seemed to satisfy her father, who replied in a much less displeasing tone.

"At least that's something. I'm going to be gone for another week or so but as soon as I get back I'll endeavour to see both you and your sister. Winter says she'll try and pop round and see you if you're up to it; I rang her this morning to tell her what had happened and she seemed as concerned as you'd expect."

Once again Weiss smiled, the young girl always glad to see her sister. Whilst Winter Schnee was also part of Schnee Music Records, she had two part-time jobs that prevented her from seeing Weiss as often as she would like. The lack of face-to-face conversations she had with her family did sometimes depress Weiss slightly, but she knew she shouldn't complain. She had a very fortunate life and was very lucky with her friends, and many people were not so fortunate.

"I have to go now Weiss, make sure to look after yourself and if you do find yourself up to working on that album of yours then please send me the files. From what I saw it was looking good."

"Okay dad, bye!"

"Bye Weiss."

As the line went dead Weiss stood in the now silent hallway and slowly lowered the phone from her face. With what had happened today she had a lot to think about, and if she was truly honest with herself a lot think about Ruby. Just then her phone buzzed indicating she had a text, and it took her a good few seconds to fully register in her head.

_Hey Weiss!_

_Hope you're doing okay, only just realised I'll have to return these clothes._

_I can give you them tomorrow at your work if you want. Say, midday?_

_Ruby x_

Weiss stared down at her phone as though it had offended her, and for a brief second she considered smashing it on the floor but reason quickly reasserted itself. She needed time away from Ruby to think, this was about as far from helpful as it was possible to get! Still, the more she thought about it the more she began to look forward to seeing Ruby tomorrow. She could only hope that this time would be less eventful.

This could only end in questions,

that was for sure.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, the next chapter should be out within a few days (hopefully).**

**TheBrokenBottle out!**


	8. Bumble-Trouble

**AN: Here's the next part of ENR! I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support. It means a lot to see you all reading both this and IDAD, and hopefully my other story that just came out today, please check it out!**  
**This and the next chapter are happening roughly simultaneously, but I'll explain in more detail next time. If you haven't already, I'd suggest checking out the one-shot I wrote for this called The Tale of Roses and Snow, because from here on in, lots of references will be made to it. It isn't crucial, but it adds a lot.**

**Read, review, follow, favourite, enjoy!**

* * *

**Tuesday, 11:24, On the road.**

Blake was currently driving through traffic, but in all honesty she wasn't focusing on the road. The reason for this was a very sweaty blonde sat in the passenger seat, her tight-fitting vest and shorts stuck to her body by the thin sheen of perspiration. Yang's eyes were closed and a goofy grin was on her face, marked only by a bruise that was definitely going to look bad in the morning, though Blake knew Yang wouldn't care. The victory was what was most important to the brawler, and today it had been a most emphatic one.

"Blake? Can we stop by and get a burger or something, I'm starving!"

A light chuckle escaped Blake's mouth and she glanced at her partner. Yang really was like a child at times, and it infuriated Blake how charming she found it. Then again, most things about her girlfriend were both infuriating and charming, and if she was brutally honest that was one of the reasons she felt confident in their relationship. Almost nothing she did seems to faze Yang, and the love and passion they showed for each other was in no way abating.

"Yang, you shouldn't eat burgers that often. How about we stop off at a cafe or something and get tea and cake?"

Yang pouted at this but said nothing, and Blake took that as an affirmative. She knew a cafe nearby that Ruby had recommended to her once, and whilst she hadn't actually managed to go herself to check it out, she trusted Ruby's word. Besides, it was only about ten minutes drive from Yang's house, and they could pick up some of the stuff they needed for later in the day once they'd eaten.

* * *

Though she'd seen Yang eat before, Blake was always amazed at just how ravenous the blonde seemed to be after a fight. Whilst she was slowly drinking a cup of tea and nibbling on a piece of shortbread, Yang was wolfing down two separate toasted sandwiches and was casting greedy eyes towards a jacket potato someone on a nearby table was eating. This in itself wasn't unusual, but Blake was ever so slightly embarrassed at Yang's lack of table manners, and she resolved to talk to her girlfriend about it when she had the chance.

"So," Yang mumbled between bites, "why exactly are we going to the studio again?"

Blake sighed; she should have known Yang would forget the details, but it was still frustrating somewhat. This whole trip out had been planned whilst Weiss was still in the hospital, Blake realising that the album wasn't going to get finished on time without extra input. Ruby had already expressed a desire to help, though whether it was because she was aspiring to be a DJ or because she wanted to get on Weiss's good side Blake wasn't sure.

"We need to work on some of the tracks for Weiss's new album. At the current rate of progress it won't be done in time for the press release next week, and I can't really ask Weiss to help the day after she's been let out of hospital."

Yang hummed at this in agreement, and shoved the remainder of her sandwich into her mouth in a very undignified manner. Blake was sure she heard some of the other customers tut at this, and she resolved to have a _very_ stern word with Yang later. There were also other things to discuss, such as the alarming text she'd got from Yang the night when she'd gone to The Broken Bottle with Weiss. Blake was in cohorts with Yang on her plan to get Ruby and Weiss together, but this was not the way she wanted it at all.

"Yang, we need to discuss Weiss. Specifically, her relationship with Ruby. Now I don't know what went on that night, but this isn't the start to a healthy relationship. They were both drunk, Weiss acted inappropriate from what you said and Ruby can't seem to get over it. I'm fine supporting them with whatever they choose to do, but at the moment we really need to sort out where they are going with this, even if they don't know themselves."

The tone at the table had darkened slightly, and Yang's ravenous eating slow down slightly as she pondered Blake's words. There was no telling what damage it could do to both the young lovers if their fragile relationship ended badly, but at the moment it wasn't really a relationship. It was an old story; go out, get drunk and do something you regret later, but they both knew just how deep Ruby's feelings for Weiss were, and it seemed like they were genuinely reciprocated. The problem remained of how to bring it up.

"So what do we say Blake? Do we go up to them and be all like 'Hey Ruby! How did you find groping Weiss?' or 'So Weiss, what's it like getting drunk and making out with your biggest fan?'? I don't know where to go with this."

Blake had no immediate answer, so settled on finishing her shortbread. The budding romance between Ruby and Weiss needed to be handled with the utmost care, and at the moment the biggest danger to it all was how Weiss would react to the knowledge of her actions that night. Because they were on the topic, Yang pulled out her phone and stared intently at the picture of the two girls she'd taken that night. They both looked to be enjoying it, though even from the grainy quality of her phone's camera Yang tell neither had much experience.

"Here. This is the picture I managed to take. I mean, it's pretty obvious that they're both into it, though you can tell Weiss is hammered."

Blake gazed at the photo, worried at just how difficult it was going to make their lives for the next week or so. Whatever happened, it needed sorting soon because Ruby was obsessing over it and it was better that Weiss find out in the kindest and gentlest way possible rather than hearsay.

As a waiter came and gave Yang her third meal, the two girls sat and pondered where to go next. An ideal situation would be one where Ruby admitted her feelings to Weiss who in turn confessed her love and the two got together. Sadly, it was unlikely to end like that as neither Ruby nor Weiss were particularly confident regarding the other, especially given how extreme their first meeting had been.

They finished eating in silence before quickly paying and getting into Blake's car. It was only short guide the studio from here, and hopefully they could get there and be done sooner rather than later.

* * *

When they arrived, it was approaching early evening. The building was still open, but almost no one was inside and the security guard at the door was barely awake. In all honesty they could probably have wandered in from the streets and not been noticed. The gradually setting sun was having a lethargic affect on both of them, Yang especially, and as they walked down the corridors it was hard not to feel at least a little bit drowsy.

"Hey Blake? Did you remember the keys to the studio?"

Blake swore quietly in response and stopped walking, checking all her pockets in a futile attempt to magic up a set of keys.

"No, sorry. I guess I just forgot, I've been so busy looking after Weiss and Ruby."

They were both silent for a minute or two as they contemplated just how much of the time they had wasted, before Blake sighed exaggeratedly and turned to Yang with a deep blush on her face.

"Yang, do you mind if I get us in another way?"

"Huh? Of course not, but I don't see any of the way in."

"That's because you don't know what I know. Come on, follow me!"

Leaving no room for argument, Blake marched assuredly towards the recording studio that belonged to Weiss. After staring in confusion for a while, Yang quickly hurried after her girlfriend, not sure where she was going with this but intrigued nonetheless.

"Oh. My. God. You know how to pick locks?!"

Blake lowered her head and nodded in embarrassment. "Yes, I learnt when I was a child. It was just one of those things we all had to do."

Yang picked up on the mournful tone of Blake, and rested a supporting hand on her shoulder. It was fortunate for both of them that the lock on the studio door was an old-styled one; Weiss evidently preferring the archaic image. As Blake fiddled around with two tumblers, Yang found her face adorable as she concentrated; her tongue peeking out from behind pursed lips and her eyebrows furrowed intently.

A satisfying click resonated slightly through the corridor, indicating that Blake was successful, and Yang pushed the now-unlocked door open and stepped into the studio. Instantly, a wave of cooler air wafted over the two of them and they stepped inside to make the most of it, Yang especially enjoying the change in temperature. Flicking a light-switch on, they made their way over to the expensive equipment situated next to the recording booth and quickly loaded up the file of Insomnia.

"Are you sure you want to do this? Going against the rules isn't exactly your style..."

In response, Blake merely looked embarrassed and refused to meet her girlfriends gaze. Yang knew that working on Weiss's tune behind her back wasn't something that Blake was exactly relishing, but if they were to stand any hope of getting the album completed on time then it was a necessity. Most of the other tunes were either complete or almost done, and realistically they were looking at about an afternoon's work if that, but Insomnia was still quite a way from completion. Yang suspected that one of the reasons Blake was so embarrassed was that had she not asked Weiss to come along on the Sunday, they would likely have this done by now, and it was in Blake's nature to blame herself for things that weren't really her fault.

"Yang, how much of this mixing do you understand?"

A question Yang had been dreading. In all honesty, despite seeing Weiss do it herself numerous times, Yang had never actually used any of the equipment beyond tuning a few dials when instructed to do so. Still, she knew how to press play and she knew how to record, so if all else failed she could always record what they had thus far and work on that. It wasn't much but it was a start.

Of course there was another way they could do this. Because she was so infatuated with her idol, Ruby had spent a lot of time learning how to DJ like Weiss. Granted it wasn't perfect, but it could well end up being exactly what was needed. Yang didn't vocalise this, instead choosing to work with Blake for as long as they could before reluctantly admitting they couldn't do much more. They were fortunate in that Weiss had developed a good chassis for the tune, so all they needed to do was work out when to add in different sounds and how to do so.

"Are almost done?" Yang whined pathetically, and Blake shot her a motherly smile.

"Nearly finished. Thank you for your help by the way, when she finds out Weiss will really appreciate it."

Yang smirked; of course Weiss would appreciate this, it was just how she was. Mind you, she would never admit it and least of all to Yang. As she thought about this, Yang realised just how empty the place was, and though it was rare for anyone not working with Weiss to come to this part of the building, she'd at least have expected a cleaner something. But today there was nothing. And that gave her an idea.

"Blake," she purred, "did I ever tell you just how sexy you are?"

The faunas rolled her eyes, though Yang could tell she wasn't stoic as she tried to make out.

"Yang we need to work. Maybe when we get home, but I want to check on Weiss and you should really see how Ruby's doing."

Yang continued without breaking stride, moving around behind Blake and leaning in close so her head was barely inches from the back of Blake's neck. From here she could see the few strands of hair that dared stand out of place, and she could also see Blake shiver every time she felt Yang's hot breath on her bare skin.

"And by the way; you knowing how to pick locks is really, really, _really_ hot."

Blake stifled a whimper that threatens to build in her throat, and she tried to turn around to reply to Yang.

"Y-Yang, this is-isn't the place." She mumbled weakly, her throat painfully dry and her resolve all but broken.

"Of course it isn't. Of course we shouldn't do it here. And that's exactly why we're going to."

That was it. Blake grabbed the back of Yang's head and pulled her into a deep and frenzied kiss, the two young lovers full of heated passion and desire. They were fortunate no cleaners came by.


	9. Questions without Answers

**AN: Hey guys, YellowSign here posting this on behalf of TheBrokenBottle. Due to other commitments she was unable to upload this, so she kindly asked me to do so. And I have.**

**(She broke her foot in a kickbox-contest, so she is staying in the hospital overnight.)**

**Apologies to everyone who was confused by last chapter, but it was designed to be read in conjunction with this one, which is one of the reasons it's so short. Sadly, these things don't always work out the way they're supposed to, and thus it's only just ready. Also, quite a lot of this chapter isn't our best work, but hopefully you can forgive that.**

**This chapter might not make as much sense as we wanted it to, and if you have any questions then just PM either one of us and we'll help. Unfortunately time is no longer on our side and thus the chapters are likely to be both slower and, regrettably, of lower quality. I'll take full responsibility for that because as a beta it's my job to ensure it's as polished as it should be. So any grievances should be PM'd to YellowSign instead of TheBrokenBottle.**

**Read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

* * *

**Tuesday 13:08, Weiss' apartment.**

When Weiss had said goodbye to Ruby and Blake on Tuesday morning, she hadn't expected to see either of them again that day. Blake had said something about picking up Yang from boxing, and Ruby probably had to jump of a building or something stupid. Thus, Weiss was surprised when the crimsonette announced her presence once again with very vigorous knocking on her door.

"Ruby? What are you doing here?" She blurted out in shock.

"Hey Weiss, I thought I'd bring you your clothes back."

Looking at Ruby it was obvious that she'd changed out of the smart and slim-fitting clothes Weiss had provided and was instead in scruffy jeans and a band shirt, an outfit Weiss had quickly realised was Ruby's favourite. Before she registered it happening, Ruby had pushed passed her and was now stood in her kitchen once again, a bundle of clothes held loosely in her arms.

"Hey! You're supposed to ask permission before barging into someone's house!"

"Why? It's not like you were going to say no." Ruby teased.

"I might have." Weiss tried to sound defiant but it came out more pathetic. Honestly, she wouldn't have turned Ruby away unless things got dire, and even though they'd only met recently, Weiss felt like she needed to make a good third impression after forgetting the other two.

Pinching her nose in frustration the young DJ followed her wayward companion into the kitchen once again.

"So. You've dropped of my clothes. Are you planning on gracing my kitchen until Sunday or do you have anything else to say?"

Weiss hadn't meant to sound that harsh, and the way Ruby recoiled like a kicked puppy made her cringe internally.

"I'm sorry," Ruby mumbled, "it's just I really enjoyed spending time with you last night. I'm supposed to be helping Yang later but I thought we could talk for a bit."

This sounded reasonable enough to Weiss and she nodded in response. Almost instinctively she put the kettle on and motioned for Ruby to sit down in the living room. Five minutes later she followed her, carefully carrying two steaming mugs of tea and placing one down in front of her guest who mouthed her thanks.

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Ow! Hot."

* * *

It was fast approaching night-time when a knock at the front door drew both of their attentions, and Weiss begrudgingly pushed herself up off the couch and answered it. She'd been watching films with Ruby for most of the day, and they'd snuggled up under a blanket together. Weiss noticed how reminiscent it was of the previous night but had elected not to say anything.

"Hello? Oh, hey Yang." She answered tiredly, ushering her friend in and out of the cold. Yang had a smug grin on her face that never seemed to shift, and between that and her dishevelled clothes Weiss had a pretty good idea what she'd been doing, but tried to force that thought out of her mind.

"Thanks. Is Ruby here?"

"Yeah, she's just through here."

The two girls made their way into the living room where Ruby was sprawled out across all three seats the couch, a thick woollen blanket draped over her form as she watched the film.

"Ruby? Someone here to see you." Weiss remarked jokingly, and Yang stepped forward to greet her little sister.

"Yang? What are you doing here? I tried ringing you ages ago and you never answered."

"Sorry sis, I've lost my phone. I had it when Blake picked me up but at some point over the past few hours I've misplaced it. Really bugging me."

Ruby gave her a sympathetic smile, "I'm sure it'll turn up somewhere," she began, "just hope no one important rings you in the meantime."

Her sister pouted at this but said nothing, and a few minutes later they both left. Weiss felt a little lonely without Ruby, but she had more important things to do right now.

* * *

Though they didn't dare say it in front of the DJ, Yang and Ruby were on their way to the recording studio. Despite it being almost 10 at night they needed this track finished today, and the only way they would stand any chance of that happening was with Ruby's help.

As they drove through the streets, Yang noticed a smear of lipstick on Ruby's lips, and was about to say something when a possibility dawned on her. Ruby wasn't one to wear lipstick normally, and whilst she could have borrowed some from Weiss it didn't seem like her.

The more interesting alternative was that in the absence of either her or Blake, the two girls had gotten to know each other a _lot_ better. If they'd spent the past few hours in each other's company, it wasn't beyond the realms of possibility that one or other had made a move. What made this almost cute was that when they'd been dropped off by Blake the previous night, Weiss hadn't had any lipstick on and Yang seriously doubted she'd put some on just before going to sleep. Thus, Weiss must have put it on in the morning, and considering that Weiss was supposed to stay at home all day, Yang doubted she'd originally planned to put any on.

The only other explanation that she could think of was that Weiss had put it on whilst Ruby was round in an attempt to impress her. The sweetness of it all almost caused Yang to squee, but instead she just maintained that irritating smirk that was so typical of her.

A different guard was working the night shift compared to normal, and he insisted on seeing their identification. Whilst Yang was let through without any difficulties, it took a bit of explaining as to why Ruby was there and what she was doing, but thankfully the two sisters were able to get to the recording studio without too much trouble.

"Ugh! What's that smell? Seriously, do the cleaners _ever_ come in here?"

Though Ruby couldn't see it, Yang vividly blushed in embarrassment and deliberately left the door open in an attempt to clear the air. Whilst her sister was, thankfully, too innocent to appreciate just what that smell was, lots of other people at the company weren't and Yang didn't relish them finding out just what she'd got up to with Blake only a few hours previous.

"I'm sure it's nothing. Hey, isn't that where Weiss does all her work?"

Just as Yang had hoped, Ruby instantly dropped the topic of the smell in the room and almost dived at the mixing desk. Her face was childlike and wondrous, and the simple joy she got from merely being near the place where Weiss worked was quite charming. Ruby ran her hands up and down the wooden panelling on the sides as though she were caressing it, and Yang found it slightly worrying.

"Erm, Ruby? Are you ok?"

No response. Ruby was almost prostrated over the mixing board, and Yang was sure she could hear her sister cooing and whispering sweet nothings to it. Deciding the situation had got disturbing enough already, Yang unamusedly dragged her sister from the desk and snapped her out of her trance.

"Ruby?" She stated very sternly.

"Y-yes?" Ruby replied nervously.

"Never do that again. What would Weiss say if she knew what you'd just done?"

She got no response, and the two of them busied themselves working on the tune. An ability to function almost at full capacity despite being tired was something that as sisters they shared, and even though it was well into the morning when they finished the two of them were able to sit back pleased with their progress. All Insomnia required now was a little smoothing out where different parts were added or faded out, and that would take at most an hour.

"Good work there sis." Yang said proudly, and her mind was filled with the possibility of Ruby and Weiss collaborating on the next album. Whether it was through practice or just raw talent, Ruby showed a flair for DJ-ing that rivalled her idol. Of course Yang didn't mention it, content instead to work on her schemes by herself, but she'd really enjoyed the past few hours working with her sister and hoped to be able to do so again.

"Thanks," Ruby began, "but all I did was add to it. The only reason it was this good is because Weiss did all the hard work."

Yang couldn't disagree, but it was something that was less important now than it should have been. What mattered was that between them they'd made the piece almost ready for the press, and with it the entire album. For the first time in a while it looked like things were going great for the young DJ, and Yang couldn't think of anything that could ruin it now.

* * *

**Tuesday 23:20, Weiss' apartment.**

After Ruby had left, Weiss busied herself doing mundane tasks like cleaning up her house and writing out a shopping list. With the previous week's insanity and all the trauma of the past few days, she hadn't kept up with the basic chores of living by herself and had quite a bit to do. If she was honest though, she was just trying to distract herself.

Yesterday morning had certainly been an interesting one. Waking up next to Ruby, having a very pleasant breakfast courtesy of her manager and then Ruby reappeared again today. When the two had been alone they'd made small talk for quite a while before Weiss was forced to accept an uncomfortable truth, though after the incident it was far more comfortable. She realised that she had fallen head over heels in love with Ruby. Whenever she was around her Weiss acted like a lovestruck teenager; sweaty palms and nervousness that she hadn't experienced in years. Mind you, she hadn't felt about anyone the same way she felt about Ruby in years.

Subconsciously her hands made their way to her lips, and she touched them ever so gently. They'd been discussing a lot of mundane topics before Ruby casually mentioned Yang's relationship with Blake. Weiss was happy that her friends had found love, but hearing Ruby talk about people with feelings for each other made her strangely jealous, and she excused herself for a minute. Under the ruse of going to the toilet she crept into her room and applied her make up as quickly as she dared before returning to her companion and sending her the sexiest look she could manage.

That had worked, and Ruby had inched closer before kissing Weiss in distinctly chaste kiss. Before Weiss had managed to question this, Ruby cheerfully explained that it was a thing she did with all her good friends, and though Weiss doubted this, she was still fearsomely jealous and disheartened. She'd tried her best to entice Ruby and all she'd got was a typical "We're only friends" speech. Where had she gone wrong? She was sure Ruby had at least some feelings for her, and it _hurt_ to get that response, no matter how well-meaning it had been.

The buzzing of her phone dragged Weiss back to the present and she looked down to see a text from Blake.

_Weiss, I'm really really sorry about this. No idea how it happened but whatever you do, don't read the papers tomorrow. I'll get Ruby and Yang and we'll come over as soon as we can._

_Blake x_

Weiss was confused; what was so bad that Blake would act like this? She shrugged, confident Blake was overreacting.

How wrong she was.

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffhanger, but hopefully a lot of it will be worth it. Producing these chapters isn't easy for either of us, and I do hope you'll stick with us even if updates slow down.**

**(TTB: I'm so happy when the romance-developement is over.)**

**TheBrokenBottle and YellowSign.**


	10. The Burning Regret

**AN: Well we've reached 10 chapters of this. Woo! Go us!**

**In all seriousness, thanks for helping us along the way: we never would have gotten here without all your amazing support. It isn't easy finding time to write all this (I broke my leg in a fight...Whoops?) but seeing you guys enjoy it makes it really worthwhile.**

**This chapter's a bit different to our normal work, and I would really appreciate any and all reviews or PM's to let me know what you thought of it. Also, send some love to YellowSign! I'm really not kidding when I say that there's no way I could have done this without him.**

**That's it for now, don't forget to read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

* * *

**Wednessday, 0:29 AM, Ruby & Yang's apartment, Vale.**

Barely an hour after receiving Blake's text the three girls had assembled in Ruby and Yang's house, chosen purely because it was quickest for them to assemble there. Though the plan had been originally to meet at Weiss' the young DJ quickly quashed it after seeing the already formidable media presence at her door. They were in Ruby's room, with Blake and Yang sat on her bed with fingers entwined, Ruby sat on a dilapidated chair by her desk and Weiss stood up leaning against the wall, a scowl playing on her features.

"So what exactly happened?"

Blake shrugged sympathetically in response and sighed dejectedly. "We don't really know. All I can say for certain is that I was contacted by several local newspapers informing me they were running it as their main story."

Weiss said nothing for quite a while, but nobody dared speak up and break the choking silence. When she did finally reply, her voice was shaking almost imperceptibly and her shoulder-blades were slouched in defeat.

"How did they get the pictures?"

This time Yang spoke up, her gaze firmly glued to the ground and her voice barely a whisper.

"They were on my phone. I saw you two at it when we went out the other day and I... I wanted something to tease Ruby with."

Again a heavy silence fell on them, and Ruby took this opportunity to look out of the window into the pitch black of the night, immediately wishing she hadn't. Already, a few media vans were camped outside their house and more were sure to follow. She cursed herself internally for allowing this to happen, despite it not really being her fault.

"Okay, I think I understand what's gone on, but I want to just run through it one more time," Weiss began, her voice dangerously quiet, "When I was drunk, Yang decided to take a picture of me and Ruby kissing. She then managed to lose her phone in that _brilliant_ way that only she can, and now half the world's media are running a main story of "DJ WhiteSnow's Red Lesbian Scandal". Is that right?"

Nervously, Blake answered. "Yes. I'm so, so sorry Weiss, I had no idea. I've already spoken to your father and he's in the process of taking out an injunction against several of the papers."

Weiss turned on her with a shout. "I don't care! It's nothing to do with him, it's nothing to do with you and it's certainly nothing to do with the papers! Why am I one of the last people to learn about this?"

"I don't know. Weiss, please believe us; we never planned for this to happen."

"Of course you didn't!" she snapped, "I'm just pissed that you never told me. Did you ever plan on telling me or was I always going to be left in the dark?"

Yang mumbled something unintelligible, likely in the hope that it would miraculously make everything instantly better, but instead Weiss rounded on her.

"And as for you, Xiao Long, what gives you the right to take pictures like that? How would you like it if I found you at your most vulnerable and let the whole bloody world know? What I do with my own time is strictly between me and the people I choose to share that time with. It is _not_ anything to do with you."

At this, Yang looked up and Weiss could see the streaks of tears down her face and her features softened a bit. But not enough to make her change her decision, and with heavy heart she turned to her friend, a silent sob wracking both of them.

"I'm sorry Yang, I really am, but I'm not sure I can trust you anymore. Maybe it's best if we... if we stop working together."

The mood in the room instantly shifted, and all but Weiss looked on with horror. A creeping sense of dread filled their minds with fantastic terrors, and Yang couldn't help but feel like her heart had been torn in two. It wasn't that she felt as though Weiss was unjustified in her actions, it was just the pain of being blamed for what had happened was so great.

"Weiss, you can't mean it! Yang's always stuck up for you."

Blake's protest fell on deaf ears and Weiss left the room, presumably to find somewhere away from the three of them, and the room was instantly almost silent, the only noise being Yang's sobbing into Blake's supportive shoulder. Slowly, almost autonomously, Ruby rose from her seat and headed out after the DJ.

"Hey! Weiss!"

Said girl turned around to see a clearly distraught Ruby making her way towards her. Even from this distance Weiss could tell just how upset Ruby was, and it once again tugged at her heart-strings, but she resolved to remain resolute.

"What do you want?" She asked, perhaps a bit harsher than she'd intended.

"Weiss listen, I just want to talk."

"About what?! About how your sister dragged me off to a bar to get me drunk? About how you took advantage of me when I was? Huh? So go on Ruby, what exactly do you want to talk about?"

The brunette was visibly shaken by this, and the little make-up she wore was quickly smudged by twin streams of tears reaching down her face to drop off her chin and pool on the floor.

"Weiss, please..." She stuttered, her jaw beginning to shake uncontrollably. An almost maternal instinct kicked in within Weiss and she had to forcibly restrain herself from going over there and pulling the sniffling girl into a comforting hug, but yet again Weiss remained firm.

"R-Ruby I thought you respected me. I thought we could be friends. Maybe even something more. But now I see you for who you really are: an over-ambitious fan who just wants to leech off my success and then bed me. And I'm sorry but I won't be your plaything. I won't let you hurt me like that."

Weiss turned her back on the now full-on crying Ruby and felt even more tears slip down her own cheeks. It was hard; she knew she had feelings for Ruby, but she couldn't let herself be used like that. Though this scandal was a deeply unpleasant experience, it had given her a true insight into how Ruby thought of her and what she'd been planning all this time. If Yang were to be believed, Ruby had obsessed over her for years now, and Weiss could only conclude that she'd been planning all this since then. Planning how to seduce her.

She fully intended to give the younger girl both barrels and cast her out of her life forever, if only to save her any more pain, but Weiss found herself unable to do so and instead walked away from the stationary figure that was almost having a full-on breakdown. Reaching another room she sat down dejectedly on a chair she'd found. Weiss was struggling to keep her emotions in check after such a physically and mentally demanding day, and as a result she did what instinct told her to: she put up walls around her heart and shut everyone out.

* * *

After a lot of thinking and crying, Weiss marched determinedly towards Ruby's room. Bursting the door open she ignored the couple still sat on the bed and grabbed something quickly off Ruby's desk before leaving and slamming the door behind her, shutting out the cries of her friends.

She found the young brunette leaning against the bathroom door, a crumpled tissue at her side as she tried to stem the flow of tears. Upon seeing Weiss, Ruby scrambled up and tried to say something but Weiss cut her off.

"Ruby, I don't remember what possessed me to give you this but please; become that girl again." Weiss said simply, her voice unsteady and raw with emotion. She stepped forward and placed a neatly folded piece of paper into Ruby's motionless hands, before giving the younger girl a quick, emotionless peck on the cheek and turning around and leaving through the back door to avoid the media. Ruby stood stock still for a few seconds before everything finally sunk into place and she began sobbing once again, her tears running dry and her chest heaving painfully.

After she had managed to regain control of her body she numbly looked at the paper that had been pressed into her hands.

_To the hottest girl in the room_

A frown settled on Ruby's features, and for the first time since this had all begun, she thought about just how it was affecting Yang. How it was affecting Blake. Sure, Weiss had every reason to be angry but so did she. Just because she wasn't a public figure didn't mean she wanted photos of her splayed across the tabloids, and she'd already been told some of the hurtful names that were circulating about her online. Perhaps when this was all over they could mend the failing relationship, but for now things were over.

* * *

Weiss lay back against her bed with a sigh and a stifled sob. She'd avoided most of the media gathered at Ruby's door, but what little she'd had to deal with had been relentless and merciless, and now all she wanted to do was enjoy the soporific effect of her luxurious sheets. Unfortunately, guilt clawed at her mind.

"Was it really Yang's fault?" She wondered aloud, her voice barely more than a whisper and her eyes heavy and lidded. Weiss wasn't sure, and even if it was Yang's fault she had no business firing her, despite what she may have said.

Her father had begun the process of taking out an injunction against some of the papers that had dared to publish this story, but that wouldn't do anything short-term, and the front page of each would be plastered with a poor-quality picture of her and Ruby engaged in a frenzied kiss. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted her actions earlier, but she couldn't honestly see a way of the four of them ever being this close again.

Her phone buzzed at her side and Weiss picked it up instinctively. A quick glance at the name above the text caused her brows to furrow in frustration and confusion: why was Ruby texting her after all that had just happened?

Swiftly unlocking her phone she brought up the message and a sense of dread washed over her as she read what had been sent.

_Weiss,_

_I don't know if you're going to read this or not but I hope you do._

_I can't spend time with you after what you did to my sister, because you've hurt her really badly._

_I'm sorry it had to end this way, and for the record I **did** respect you. I **did** want to be friends._

_But not anymore._

Weiss read the text several times in the vain hope that she was just imagining the hurtful words, but eventually she gave up the pretences and just hunched over crying once again. Cold shivers wracked her body and a painful throbbing erupted in her chest, constricting her already laboured breathing.

She'd just lost the one person who meant more to her than anyone else in the world right now, and it was all because of her own stupidity.

There was a storm in the land of living, and she knew she would face it soon.

* * *

**So there we have it: Things certainly went poorly! Will they be able to mend their relationship or has it been forever tainted? Guess you'll just have to wait for the next chapter!**

**TheBrokenBottle out!**


	11. Mirror, Mirror

**AN: It's back! Whoo!**

**Sorry about that, it's just I'm really excited that the next chapter of this is up. I've been working with YellowSign a lot these past two weeks and his condition's improving slowly. He's going to add something below so I won't go into too much detail, but I just want to say thank you to everyone who wished him well.**

**This chapter is something a little different to what we've done before so please let us know just what you think of it! Also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed the past couple of chapters. It motivates me to keep writing.**

**YellowSign: Hey guys. Sorry about the delay, my life's taken something of a nosedive and I'm currently trying to manage therapy and uni work. This isn't helped by being poor and thus unable to afford said therapy (it's not available on the NHS). Please can you all bear with me, because whilst I think the worst is behind me I'm still struggling a huge amount. I'm not going to make any promises about frequency of updates because I'm not sure I can keep them but trust me when I say I'll try my best.**

**Also, can you all say thanks to TheBrokenBottle. Without her I certainly wouldn't be writing this now, and I may never have begun my recovery. She's put up with me and helped me through a very dark period, so give her some thanks. She really deserves it.**

**Read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

* * *

**Two weeks later. Wednesday, 17:34, Bar, The Broken Bottle, Vale.**

**Yang**

_You did this._

Jab.

_You've no-one but yourself to blame._

Jab, hook.

_Her entire career in ruins._

Jab.

_Your entire career in ruins._

Jab.

_And for what? A silly photo to prank Ruby with._

Hook, jab, hook.

_Was it worth it? Of course not._

Jab.

_And now look at you. Stuck here with nowhere else to go._

Jab, hook.

_You don't deserve them._

Jab.

_You don't deserve Weiss._

Jab.

_You don't deserve Ruby._

Jab.

_You don't deserve Blake._

Jab, jab, hook, jab, hook, uppercut, hook.

_Look at you. You're pathetic. If it wasn't for Velvet you'd have starved._

Jab.

_Just give up. Don't fight it anymore._

Jab, hook.

_It's the easy option, the best option._

Jab.

_They don't want you anymore._

Jab.

_Nobody wants you anymore._

Jab.

_And that's the way it's going to stay._

As had quickly become routine, Velvet gingerly descended the stairs into the basement of The Broken Bottle carrying a tray of still-steaming food in her hands. Today, the meal on offer was sausage casserole, food that didn't particularly excite Velvet but it wasn't for her. Instead, she was hoping that Yang would finally relent and eat.

"Y-Yang?" She called out hesitantly, her faunus eyes cutting through the gloom of the basement. When it had been installed, the boxing ring had a decent-sized seating area and lighting, but at the moment only a single light bulb illuminated the stuffy room. Beneath this light hung a punch-bag suspended from the roof that swung from side to side as the figure stood in front of it threw punch after punch.

Yang had been down here for almost two weeks, arriving shortly after the publication of the pictures of Weiss and Ruby. Since then, the blonde had spent almost all of her time in the basement, only leaving to go to the pub toilet. Despite not knowing the full extent of what had happened, Velvet had been willing to look after her friend and twice a day she'd bring Yang a plate of food and a drink. The drink would always go but Yang barely touched the meals on offer and that worried Velvet.

Another grunt as the punch-bag swung from a powerful hit and the blonde once again found herself deprived of energy, slumping against the bag in defeat. Shaking her head sadly, Velvet made her way over to the now still brawler and set the tray down on the floor near Yang. From here she could see the full extent of how bad Yang was: her hair was greasy and unkempt; her clothes were stained with sweat; her arms shook from exertion as they tried weakly to support her against the bag; she was looking dangerously thin due to lack of nutrition.

Not for the first time in her life, Velvet cursed her acute faunus sense of smell as her nose wrinkled at the foul stench clinging to the basement, though given that Yang was about one week without a shower it was understandable.

"Yang, look at me please." Velvet pleaded, anxious to help her friend. A slight shudder of Yang's shoulders told her that the other girl was at least able to hear her.

"Yang you need to stop this. I don't know what happened and I don't want to, but I can't let you live like this. You're exhausted, you haven't eaten properly for days and you stink."

In response Yang slid off the bag and onto the floor, her eyes closed tightly as she slept a dreamless sleep, her face twitching almost imperceptibly as nightmares haunted her subconscious.

Once again, Velvet retrieved the blanket that lay on the floor near to where Yang was and draped it over her gently. The first night, Velvet had tried to persuade Yang to leave but was ignored in favour of the punching bag. The second night she'd brought the blanket to shield against the cold of the Autumn evening and it had stayed here ever since.

With a sigh, the faunus left the basement, making sure to leave the light on. If Yang got up in the middle of the night she didn't want to leave her wandering around blind, especially considering her current state. Velvet wanted to help, but she knew that there was little she could do. Only two people in the world would have any hope of getting the Yang they all knew and loved back, and one was public enemy number one and the other was locked in her room and refused to come out.

Sooner or later something had to give, because Yang couldn't keep living like this. She was getting more and more exhausted with each passing day and the frequency at which she passed out was alarming at the very least. Velvet could only hope that they'd be able to get Yang back.

Before it was too late.

* * *

**Wednesday, 14:52, Blake's appartment, Vale.**

**Blake**

Closing her front door behind her, Blake took one step forward before her legs gave out and she collapsed to the floor in a heap, tears streaking down her face and choked sobs echoing around the empty hallway. Every day was like this: put on a brave face and attempt to go around living a normal life despite being public enemy number one.

As soon as the photos had been released, Blake had made one of the hardest yet also one of the easiest decisions in her life. Being a manager she knew how the media worked, and right now they were looking for a person to blame for the leak. It was just so typical of them: "Look at these photos!" "Look at this person who dared give us the photos!"

Sadly, the person they were looking for was Yang, and Blake knew her girlfriend would fall apart under the harsh scrutiny of the media, so she made up her mind and called for a press conference, in which she accepted full responsibility for the leak and claimed to have taken the pictures herself. Naturally she resigned with immediate effect, though a phonecall later that day with Duncan Schnee soon rectified that, but the damage was done.

Hence why Blake was a pariah amongst her own people. Dirty looks and harsh words were thrown at her from across the street, shopkeepers who'd known her all her life refused to serve her and all the people who hated her due to her faunus heritage or due to being in a relationship with another girl were gleefully vocal about their views.

It _hurt_. It hurt so much that she sometimes wondered whether she could make it through each day knowing what awaited her, but every time she doubted herself Blake merely looked at the photo atop her mantlepiece that had been taken a month or so ago.

In it, a decidedly excitable Yang was pressing a deliberately messy kiss onto her cheek in an attempt to fluster her for the photo, a tactic that almost worked. Blake remembered that day well and each time it gave her a little more resolve to carry on, to put on the facade of being fine and to ignore the abuse hurled at her.

But every day got harder and harder. She hadn't even spoken to any of the other three since Weiss left, and it was only due to a worried phonecall from Velvet that she even knew where Yang was. Blake was lonely, tired and scared, and her mental strength was being sorely tested by everything that was going on. It was only a matter of time before she caved in.

The stream of tears quickly became a deluge and Blake silently cried, cried until she could cry no more, cried until her throat was raw and her eyes stung. And thus it was every night.

Weakly, she dabbed at her face with a tissue in an attempt to wipe away the tears but only succeeded in removing some of the makeup she'd applied to her face. It was a rare day when Blake chose to wear makeup but this time it wasn't out of choice but necessity. The abuse wasn't just verbal, and more than a few people had hurled stones along with their words. Police too weak or uncaring to react. Blake couldn't afford to let them see it was affecting her; she had to keep the focus on her and off her friends, so every morning she covered her face with paints and powders to hide the welts and bruises.

Looking at herself, still lying in a heap on the floor, Blake closed her eyes and willed for a release from the pain and the torment but none came. She'd chosen to be the lightning rod in an attempt to protect the others, but now she was struggling more than she'd ever done before.

After all, how long could you keep acting out of love when every day that love threatened to fade away?

* * *

**Wednesday, 8:59, Ruby & Yang's appartment, Vale.**

**Ruby**

An alarm echoed around Ruby's room, the harsh buzzing cutting through the silence and waking the sleeping girl. Arms flailing wildly she managed to turn it off before sinking back into the covers and letting her heartbeat slow, Ruby unwilling to wake up at this time of morning. Unfortunately that was not to be the case, as despite her thick curtains blottingout most of the sun, enough light was able to shine through gaps in the fabric to be an annoyance, and with an exaggerated huff Ruby threw her covers off, swung her legs over the bed and opened the curtains.

Instantly the harsh glare of the sun assaulted her eyes and she turned her head and squinted in an attempt to protect her vision. After a few seconds, her eyes adjusted to the sunlight and she was able to look out across the street.

Despite it being a nice day, very few people were out enjoying it, but Ruby barely registered that. Instead, she saw a teenager, maybe about five years younger than her, running from lampost to lampost. Curious, she watched as he stopped at each, reached for what appeared to be a pen, drew something on them and then jogged to the next one.

Ordinarily this wouldn't have been enough for Ruby to act on, but something told Ruby to check it out, so with yet another sigh she assembled a complete outfit from the clothes that lay haphazardly scattered around her room. Normally Yang would give her a lecture on keeping the place tidy, but Ruby hadn't heard from or seen Yang for almost two weeks.

She tried to ignore the building worry about her sister, but every time she managed to convince herself that Yang was tough enough to look out for herself, her mind would conjure up all manner of horrifying possibilities as to what could have happened.

By now, the media had stopped hounding Ruby and she was able to step outside her house without fear of harassment, but the first couple of days had been so bad that she hadn't dared to go outside.

The morning sun was beginning its slow journey across the sky and Ruby inhaled deeply, the fresh morning air filling her lungs and revitalising her a little. Over the past few days, Ruby hadn't gone out much, and it was something of a relief to stretch her legs once again.

She reached the nearest lampost and immediately froze in shock and anger. Earlier, someone must have placed posters for the upcoming competition, upon which Weiss featured prominently. This youth, who Ruby only felt contempt for, had graffitid and vandalised the picture of Weiss, including writing hateful comments directed at her as well.

Blood boiling, Ruby hurried over to the next lampost to see if he'd done the same there, and sure enough she was met with a similar scene. In a flash of anger, Ruby grabbed the thin paper and tore it down, scrunching it into a ball with her hands. She ran to the lampost across the road and removed that one as well, tears beginning to form in the corner if her vision. By now, people had noticed her rushing around the street but she didn't care; she had to get rid of all of them.

About a minute later, Ruby stood motionless at the side of the road, oblivious to the people stopping to gawk or take photos. In one hand she had seven promotional posters scrunched up into a ball and the other was clenched in a tight fist. How dare he do that to Weiss? Ruby tried to pretend that her anger was purely due to defacing of property but she knew better.

It was because he'd done it to someone who meant so much to her. Even with all Weiss had done, even with the rejection and the state she'd left Yang in, Ruby still had feelings for her. And that was one of the hardest things she'd ever had to deal with.

Originally, she'd assumed that she liked Weiss because she was an amazing DJ and really pretty, and then later on due to her working with Yang. But now? Now Ruby could honestly say she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the one girl it seemed impossible to be with.

Vaguely she was aware of a crowd up people gathering, and she pushed past them in a rush for her door. Once inside the sanctuary of her home, Ruby allowed herself to look at the posters once again. Despite the crude drawings and hurtful words, she could still see Weiss' face looking resplendent, and she decided right then that even with all that had happened between them, she loved the DJ.

She could only hope Weiss felt the same way.

* * *

**Wednesday, 12:45, Bar, PurpleYellow Blend, Vale.**

**Weiss**

One of the things Weiss had worried about was finding friends to replace the ones she'd lost after the breakup, but she found a surprising number of people willing to hang out with her. Lots of people ranging from late teens to early thirties were prepared to look past the whole controversy, but very soon Weiss saw their true colours. They just wanted to claim to be her friend or bed her. They didn't care for Weiss Schnee, all they wanted was DJ WhiteSnow.

Weiss supposed she should be bothered but in all honesty she couldn't find the energy to do so. The past week or so had an almost soporific effect on her, and even simple things like making breakfast seemed to suddenly become serious challenges. In fact, Weiss hadn't even been out for the first few days as the media storm slowly died down. It was for the best that she stay out of the spotlight.

Fortunately her father had been brilliant throughout. Every awkward interview was called off, every humiliating public appearance delayed, every newspaper strongarmed into dropping the story. Without him, Weiss was sure she would have been overwhelmed, and it was thanks to his efforts that she was able to get into and out of her house and walk down the street without media harassment.

Weiss didn't know who had taken the fall for the leaks but she assumed it was Yang. Despite her betrayal, Yang was still someone she trusted somewhat, though she couldn't figure out why, and it was her style to accept the blame when it was due. Her father had merely told her he was in control of the situation, and his word was enough.

Still, he couldn't do everything. A lot of the media had run the story as a case of "good girl gone bad" which irked her more than it should have, but the worst bit was social media. Sure, a lot of people had come out in support of her, including some celebrities, but that was nothing to the bile and the hatred that was hurled at her almost constantly. Beyond the calls for her to quit writing music there were death threats and worse, and the sheer volume of it was starting to get to her.

That was why she'd decided to have a nice meal at a local cafe. Something simple and rustic to take her mind off her problems. Weiss neglected to bring a coat, but fortunately it was warm enough as the sun shone weakly in defiance of the Autumn weather.

"Morning Miss Schnee." A kind-hearted barista waved to her as she entered and she returned the greeting with a smile before sitting down on one of several worn wooden chairs that were scattered around the room for customers to sit on whilst they snacked. Weiss was planning on getting a cup of tea later, but for now she was content to just enjoy the warmth and the general friendliness of the people.

"Do you want a hot meal dear?" A kind woman asked, her eyes crinkled into a smile and an apron draped around her to indicate she worked here.

"Huh? Oh, no thank you. I'll order something soon." Weiss responded easily and the woman nodded and wandered off to serve another customer.

There were very few people in the cafe so Weiss was afforded some peace, and allowed herself to cast her mind back over the past few days. She'd begun to get sick of the sycophants who surrounded her with their incessant brown-nosing, but at the moment she didn't see any way of getting rid of them. She needed a replacement for the three people who'd let her down. She needed people who wouldn't betray her like that.

Vaguely she was aware of the radio in the kitchen of the cafe being turned up, and she listened in to see what song was coming on.

"_-nd up next we have Insomnia from the new album "X-Rated" by DJ WhiteSnow. It's the highest placed track from her this week."_

Instantly Weiss froze. She'd never finished this song before the album was released, and with all the turmoil going around she had completely forgotten about it. How bad was it? How much still needed doing?

It took Weiss a minute or so to realise that this wasn't quite what she'd done. It was less experimental, more refined and, most importantly, finished. The melody had been smoothed out and taken up a semi-tone for the repeat. It wasn't how she would have done it. But it was complete and that's all that mattered.

"_That was Insomnia by DJ WhiteSnow and Ruby Rose. Stay with us for the chance to win a fiver!"_

The radio was turned back down and Weiss just sat there in shock. Ruby had done that? When? How? Why? Weiss didn't know but she resolved to find out. Perhaps there was more to the younger girl than she'd previously thought. She wasn't sure, but there was clearly something more going on than she knew, and Weiss considered that she'd been wrong about Ruby.

She quickly quashed that thought but it kept returning. She couldn't shake the thought that Ruby genuinely cared for her, and that prospect sent shivers coursing around her body.

With a start, Weiss realised she was back home, and she allowed herself a wry smile at the prospect of walking back without even realising it. Putting the kettle on, she sat down at her kitchen table and opened her phone, flicking through the list of contacts until she found Ruby's name. Her finger hovered above the contact, doubt suddenly flooding her mind as she realised just what could happen if she spoke to Ruby. What if she wasn't forgiven? What if Ruby hurt her further? What if she didn't answer?

After a second Weiss sighed and turned her phone off, pocketing it quickly. Perhaps she'd call Ruby later. After all, the other girl was probably doing fine without her anyway.

* * *

**AN: So there you have it! Let us know what you think, because this is different to what we normally do. Any and all feedback is appreciated, and thank you for reading it and sticking with us.**

**TheBrokenBottle out!**


	12. Enough!

**AN: Hey everyone and a very good morning! Welcome to the latest installment of Experiencing New Rhythms.**

**As of writing, ENR now has over 150 followers. I'm honestly ecstatic at the response from you guys, and it means so much when I get an email to let me know I've got another follower or another review or that someone else has favourited this. Please review this chapter, because it's a little dark like last chapter was, and we want to know if we did it right. Even if all you want to say is "keep up the good work" then please review. Don't worry though, because after this it starts to get lighter and happier.**

**This chapter happens the day after the previous one. Let us know what you think, and don't forget to read, review, follow, favourite and enjoy!**

**(You know We've been watching our mail every five minutes to see if the 150th follower came? -TheBrokenBottle & YellowSign.)**

* * *

**Thursday, 23:07, Bar, The Broken Bottle. Vale.**

Holding a plate of home-made food in her right hand and a blanket stuffed beneath her left arm, Velvet leaned against the heavy oak door to the basement, opening it with some difficulty. It was bone-numbingly cold in the hall that led to the boxing rings, dipping below freezing some nights and rarely climbing out of single figures. How Yang had managed to live down here for two full weeks without showing signs of hypothermia was beyond the young faunus.

"Yang!" She called out into the gloom, her sensitive eyes still unable to find the other girl in the gloom.

No answer. No mumbled acknowledgement, no grunting from exertion, no slapping of fists on leather. Nothing.

"Yaannngg! I got your food!"

Again, no answer. Maybe she was already asleep? From what Velvet had noticed over the past two weeks, Yang was an incredibly deep sleeper. Sure, a lot of it was exhaustion, but when Yang fell asleep it seemed impossible to wake her unless she herself wanted to wake up. She doubted even a plane could wake Yang up.

Still, Yang somehow seemed to have slipped into something of a routine, and normally she'd be wide awake right about now. Velvet usually checked on her as often as possible, but realistically that was once every couple of hours at best. Some days she'd only been down the two times she'd brought food.

As she neared the punch-bag that had quickly become Yang's home Velvet found her feet going from under her and she was sent flying to the floor, the plate of food slipping out of her grasp and shattering on the cold stone. Wincing in pain, she pushed herself up off the ground to see just what it was that had caused her to trip, only to recoil in horror at what she saw.

"Yang! Oh my God, Yang!"

On the floor in front of her, Yang lay in a crumpled heap, her legs pulled close to her chest and her arms on the floor in some form of make-shift pillow. Her skin was worryingly cold to the touch and the rise and fall of her chest was barely noticeable. From what little she knew about these things, Velvet guessed that Yang had collapsed from exhaustion. She was starving, and her body couldn't keep up with the demands placed upon it.

Thinking fast, Velvet rummaged around in Yang's pockets until she found her mobile phone. She needed to get Yang to a hospital _now_, and then she definitely owed it to Blake to ring and let her know what had happened. Hopefully Yang would be fine. Hopefully.

* * *

**Earlier that evening, Thursday, 18:05, Vale City Hall.**

"I've decided to make this announcement now in light of recent events. After consulting with the management of Schnee Music Records I've decided to withdraw my participation from the Vytal Festival."

The gathered reporters all managed to hold in any surprise at this, though Weiss saw a few raised eyebrows. In all honesty she was kind of disappointed: she'd expected to cause more of a reaction.

"However, I've been in talks with the city of Vale and as a treat for all my loyal fans out there I've decided to do a special one-off performance tomorrow night right here at Vale City Hall. Entrance is free to anyone wearing Schnee Music Records branded merchandise, five lien to anyone else."

Sensing she was finished, the reporters sprang to life, shoving microphones in her face and clamoring for her to answer one more question. Fortunately, some security personnel allowed her to escape, holding open the door of the conference room and letting her run away down the corridor. Weiss scowled slightly at the media, her perfect face scrunching up a little, though most people would call it cute.

Whilst most of what she had said had been true, the decision to pull out had been hers alone, and whenever she was able to see her father he always told her he supported her with whatever she chose, but he was rarely around for long and he refused to actually tell her what to do, no matter how much she felt like she needed it.

Today had been something that had happened almost on the fly. As she woke, she'd decided that she wasn't ready for the festival, especially as most of her songs included Yang to some extent, and she wasn't ready to replace her singer just yet.

Of course, when she'd climbed out of bed and made up her mind she'd had no idea just how frustrating something like this could be. Normally Weiss relied on Blake to make all the calls, but she hadn't seen or heard from Blake since the scandal began. She could only assume that the faunus had followed her heart and stuck with Yang, but she couldn't be sure and it still hurt a lot.

Thankfully she'd managed to make all the calls just in time, and now the City Hall was booked out from 9 til late for her tomorrow. It gave Weiss a certain amount of satisfaction doing this by herself and she continued to kid herself that she was coping fine without the others.

But she knew that wasn't true.

In many ways she had planned and done all this just to keep busy. Weiss didn't want to have to stop and think, because she knew that if she did then she'd keep thinking about the three of them, especially that infuriating brunette.

There was something about Ruby that still made her a fascinating enigma to Weiss. What did she want? Why was she prepared to do so much for the young DJ? Was she truly as innocent as she seemed? No matter how much she tried not to, Weiss kept coming back to that youthful face full of optimism. Ruby Rose intrigued her, and that made her almost an obsession for Weiss.

Of course she wouldn't admit it. Not only was she too proud to state that someone else could have that much influence over her, Weiss was also in denial about just how much this was affecting her. She kept rationalising her thinking, claiming it was just the stress of the situation, but the most stressful part was being separate from her friends, if they still were her friends.

"Hey there Weiss!"

"Winter!"

Her sister was waiting by the door outside, a genuine smile on her face and she pulled Weiss into a swift hug.

"I heard you had an announcement to make but I didn't quite expect that."

"What did you expect?" Weiss replied, curious.

"Hmm, I guess I don't really know. It's been so long since I last saw you that I expected something a little more… newsworthy? I don't know."

An awkward silence descended on the two of them, and Weiss thought back. It had indeed been a long time since they last spoke, and so much had happened since then. The crash at the racetrack. The new album. The kiss...

Weiss shook her head vigorously in an attempt to clear her mind of the heated thoughts that had squirmed their way into her head, and her sister seemed to notice.

"Weiss, what's wrong?" She asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"It's nothing Winter, it's just… it's just I'm really tired." She said weakly, but fortunately her sister seemed to buy it.

"Too much kissing that girl I bet."

"Winter!"

"What? I think it's really cute!"

Weiss tried to scowl at this but it came out as more of a pout. Winter often teased her like this and she still hadn't managed to come up with a good retort to shut her up.

"So when am I meeting her? The photo in the paper wasn't great so I don't really know what she looks like."

"You're not. I'm not speaking to her ever again, and even if I were I wouldn't bring her anywhere near you."

The way in which she'd responded shocked Winter, and the older girl looked her sister in the eyes, concern etched upon her face.

"Why, what happened? Weiss, what did she do?"

"I don't want to talk about it." She replied curtly and thankfully Winter left it there.

"Ok. Well, I have to get going now; my shift starts soon, but is there anything else you need?"

Weiss shook her head. "No thanks. I think I'm just going to go home and lie down."

"You do that. It was good seeing you sis!"

"And you." Weiss said with a wave. Truth be told, she had no plans on going home and was instead looking forward to having a drink or two to calm her nerves before preparing for tomorrow. She knew a cocktail bar that she'd been taken to once called 'One More Shot' that was nearby and was somewhere she wouldn't look out of place in her smart clothing. Hopefully she could have a good time drinking. After all, it had to be better than last time, right?

* * *

**Meanwhile, 18:00, Blake's appartment, Vale.**

It was only by chance that Blake had heard that Ruby needed her help. One of her few true friends that had stayed with her through this had mentioned seeing Ruby in a state to her that morning and she'd instantly dropped everything to go and help. Upon arriving at the other girl's house she'd seen her sat on her doorstep with her head in her hands.

It had taken little encouragement to get Ruby to accept a lift to hers, and the two were now sat in front of her TV whilst eating fatty, greasy nachos. Normally Blake wouldn't even consider putting anything like that near her mouth but right now Ruby needed comforting, and this was pretty much the definition of comfort food. Initially Ruby had been almost trance-like, numbly nodding along to whatever Blake said without really processing it, but as they got warmer and more comfy she opened up.

"Blake, can you pass the remote?"

"Huh? I thought you had it?"

Ruby's face was quizzical and she shuffled around under the mass of blankets that covered both girls for a few seconds before emerging triumphant with the remote. Sure couches always had those habits of eating everything you stuffed on it.

"Here it is! Sorry about that, I thought you had it."

Blake brushed this off with a smile, already appreciating just how much she'd been missing the other girls, Yang especially. She could deal with the physical pain and abuse: she'd had to all her life, but the emotional hurt was something that threatened to overwhelm her almost constantly. Those would be the scars that remained for life.

Fortunately, being around Ruby seemed to be the perfect cure, as the two girls already got on very well. In the absence of Yang there was no-one Blake would rather spend her time with than Ruby, and they shared so many interests it was unreal.

"You mind if we watch the news for a bit?"

Blake chuckled at Ruby. Of course she didn't mind! In all honesty, just being around the younger girl was enough to cheer her up, and if Ruby wanted to watch the news then they'd watch the news.

The screen changed from a genuinely awful chick-flick to the anchorwoman stood in front of Vale City Hall, clearly doing a special report.

"Hello and welcome to the six o'clock news, I'm Lisa Lavender coming to you live from outside Vale City Hall, where Weiss Schnee, better known as DJ WhiteSnow, is preparing to make her first public appearance since recent scandals. We understand that this press conference was only called today. We'll be broadcasting with a 30 second delay in case there's any strong language."

The camera now showed a mostly white room with a large table in front of a screen showing lots of corporate logos of various companies that sponsored the news station. As they waited for Weiss to appear, Blake glanced across at Ruby to see the other girl looking ghostly white, her hands gripping the blanket as though she feared her life would end if she let go. A single bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and Blake could see her shoulders shaking erratically and uncontrollably.

For the press conference, Weiss had gone with a smart ice-blue shirt and skinny white jeans, an outfit Blake had quickly realised was one of her favourites, and there seemed to be an air of confidence about the white-haired girl as she sat down. A slight murmur could be heard from some of the other news teams that were part of the interview, though as Weiss began to speak that quickly died down.

Blake didn't pay attention to the TV, her eyes instead glued on Ruby. The younger girl seemed to be taking each word like a hammer blow, and her eyes were glistening over with the formation of tears. A choked sob escaped from her throat but she still couldn't tear her eyes away from the screen.

"Ruby…" She breathed softly, her arm reaching out to gently touch the other girl's shoulder, but Ruby recoiled.

"Don't. Just…. don't." Ruby mumbled, still fixated on the screen in front of her.

"I'm turning it off if it's doing this to you." Blake responded firmly, reaching towards the remote that lay next to Ruby.

"No! Don't!" Ruby shouted, her face jerking round to look at Blake, her eyes wild and intense.

Surprised by the sudden outburst Blake relented and sat back, Ruby following a second later. They watched the rest of the conference in silence, and it was only when Weiss left the screen that Ruby lowered her head and looked at the floor. Blake would have sworn that she hadn't seen her friend blink throughout the press conference but she was certainly making up for it now as she tried in vain to keep back tears.

Ruby didn't speak for a long while, simply turning the TV off without looking and plunging the room into darkness and a heavy silence. It was only when Blake had gone and turned on a side light to provide them with enough illumination to see by that she spoke up, her voice strained and barely a whisper.

"I miss her so much…"

Had she not been a faunus Blake would likely not have heard what Ruby said, but with her hyper-sensitive hearing she was able to pick out the words as clearly as if Ruby had been shouting.

"I think we all do Ruby," she began gently, "but we messed up. I can understand her not wanting to speak to us."

In response Ruby just nodded slightly and continued to stare at the floor as tears started to build in her eyes. Her breath was getting more and more laboured as she lost her battle holding back the tears, and they cascaded down her face to run along her slender nose and drip to the floor, slowly soaking Blake's carpet.

"Ruby, do you want a hug?"

Ruby nodded numbly and leaned into Blake's comforting embrace, the dark-haired girl holding her friend lightly to her chest and running her hand up and down the other girl's back.

"I know it's upsetting but you have to let it go. You'll always have those wonderful memories of her and nothing can take those away from you."

Blake was met by more sobs and she smiled sympathetically.

"Do you want to stay here tonight?"

"No thanks Blake, I think I'll just have a night out, you know? Maybe a few drinks."

Blake wasn't too sure about this idea but reasoned it was better than nothing so she relented.

"Ok Ruby, just take care of yourself. You mean a lot to me. Where are you planning on going anyway?"

"There's this bar Yang took me to once that I really enjoyed. It was all fancy and people brought you your drinks all the time! I think it was called 'One More Shot'."

"Ruby, you do realise that's a cocktail bar?"

"Yeah, but I still want to go there."

"Well ok but if you need anything you know where I am."

Ruby smiled at her and Blake realised just how much she'd missed seeing Ruby smile. It was a smile that could cheer you up regardless of how down you were feeling, and right now it was just what Blake needed.

"Thanks Blake. For everything."

Blake returned the smile as she watched her friend leave. Hopefully Ruby could find some comfort tonight with whatever she chose to do. Some time in one of the best bars in Vale would do her some good.

* * *

**Later that night, 23:13, Blake's appartment.**

A harsh buzzing cut through the silence of the late evening, dragging Blake from the comfort of sleep back into the world of the waking.

Rubbing her eyes tiredly to remove the sleep that still lingered there, Blake blinked a few times to refocus the blurred world in front of her. Vaguely aware of the buzzing noise continuing she looked around to find what it was that had so rudely woken her up, only to remember that she'd left her phone on the bedside cabinet when she went to bed. The buzzing was likely her phone.

Pushing herself up onto her elbows, Blake reached over to where her phone lay. Fumbling slightly with it, she answered the incoming call without checking the caller ID.

"'m hello?...Yes?...What?! What happened?...Ok, I'll be right there!...Look after her until I get there…..Thank you Velvet."

Hanging up and grabbing some clothes from the floor Blake quickly got dressed. If what Velvet had said was true, Yang was currently passed out in the basement of The Broken Bottle and the ambulance was on its way there. Blake could only hope that Yang would be fine in the end.

"Oh Yang, what have you done?"


	13. I'm With You

**Heya guys!**

**So, ENR13 is here, and honestly I've been thinking of how to make this happen ever since chapter one. No matter how many times this situation appeared in fics, or how cliché it sounds, it's an embarrassing yet nice way to (kiss and) make up, right?**

**The other day, one of the loyal readers of this story asked me a question that made me smile and think for a moment. I'm not going to mention his/her name, but the question was: "Are you thinking of redoing any of your stories?"**

**After thinking for what was like two seconds, I came to an answer, which I happily shared: "Yes, I would re-do Experiencing New Rhythms, and I'm planning on doing so. But AFTER I finish it. I've come along a lot since I first started (my beta won't shut up about it ^^) and I want to show how good I really am. I mean, if I can make every reader a happy one that has to be a good thing?**

**Go also check out my new story, (with help of the always loyal YellowSign) 'Inseparable Souls', that will be the first story updated after this one. We're also glad to tell we've reached the 100 favourites, and we're really happy with it! So keep the feedback going, and we'll give you what you're waiting for.**

**Let's see if this chapter can reach: 100 reviews, 110 favourites and 200 follows.**

**Small warning: Sometimes I can be a bit hard to understand, but that'll be fixed later! It may have been a bit overrushed, but it's now or never huh? Let me know what you think.**

**Read, Review, Follow, Favourite and Enjoy!**

* * *

**Friday, 9:04 am, Weiss' apartment, Vale.**

Weiss awoke the next morning feeling content. Lots of emotions were swimming through her mind, but the overriding one was contentedness. Her sleep had been blissfully restful, and as she snuggled deeper into the enveloping warmth of her sheets she allowed a small smile to grace her face. It wasn't often she slept well even before all of the recent drama, so to be so relaxed and willingly lethargic was a rare and treasured thing for the young DJ. Even her muscles were thankfully free of the stresses and aches of previous days.

Opening her eyes just enough to let them adjust to the light inside her room, she was shocked to see the sunlight in full force as it peeked through a small gap in the curtains, and by the looks of it the time was fast approaching noon.

A slight throbbing in her head began to make itself known, and the faintest hint of a frown dared to emerge but she quickly surpressed it and pushed herself up onto her elbows, where she got the second shock of the morning.

She was completely naked.

The feeling of the cool sheets pressed close against her bare skin was unmistakable, although she still lifted the covers slightly to check. Upon being greeted with herself in the nude, Weiss dropped the covers in shock and a squeak of some sorts escaped her mouth. What had happened? Why would she go to bed without putting her pyjamas on? She glanced around the room, noticing all sorts of garments scattered haphazardly. What was going on?

The answer to these questions and many more revealed itself in the form of soft fingers gently stroking her back, her skin tingling and shivers racing through her body at their touch. The fingers traced the outline of her spine, starting just beneath her neck and then slowly travelling downwards until they were dangerously close to her bare backside before they relented and the contact was broken.

Weiss had to suppress a gasp from emerging from her mouth, and her back instinctively arched in an attempt to find the fingers again, the fingers whose touch was electric and woke a heat deep inside of her. The way they delicately caressed her was like magic, Weiss seeking more despite herself. There was just something about the contact that reassured her and made her desire the touch once again, though maybe this time not only limited to her back.

The most remarkable thing about this was how soft and delicate the touch was; far too gentle to be a man. Weiss' mind tried to rationalise this, her brain wrestling with the thought of enjoying the feeling of being stroked by another woman, whoever they were. The feeling of your skin against someone else's was something Weiss had not had the pleasure of experiencing before, and she tilted her head round to see who it was that she'd enjoyed the touch of so much, only to gasp in shock and horror.

A messy mop of brown hair with red highlights perfectly framed a calm, restful face, bangs hanging down over two half-lidded silver eyes, a sleepy smile present and making the scene almost cute. Well, to anyone except Weiss that is.

Weiss was fuming, her cheeks darkening to a deep crimson in a mix of rage and embarrassment. This was honestly the worst thing she could have imagined happeneing. The fingers that had seemed so enticing mere seconds ago were now repulsive, and Weiss was ready to kick Ruby out her bed, hoping to wake her up when she got another unwelcome surprise.

Ruby was also naked.

* * *

**9:59, Hospital of Vale.**

Sitting rigidly, all Blake could do was stare at her girlfriend, who was currently fast asleep on a hospital bed being fed through a drip. Yang was severly malnourished and dehydrated, and had collapsed out of exhaustion. Apparently they'd put her on a drip as soon as she'd arrived, but by the time Blake had gotten to see her she still looked atrocious.

Even getting to see Yang had been a challenge; after reaching the hospital in the late hours of last night, Blake didn't get a warm welcome, being dismissed as 'another irritating press'. This hurt Blake a huge amount, because having beeing subjected to the threats and shame of the actual press, being called one of them right now was deeply insulting and offensive.

It had taken her a while to explain who she was and what Yang meant to her, before the nurse stepped aside without an appology to let the faunus in. When she got there, though, she was horrified.

Yang was deathly pale, muddled manes of greasy hair sticking out in all directions, eyes screwed shut tight with sweat dripping down her forehead and skinnier than Blake had ever seen her in the past months. Her skin was so pale she almost blended into the white-washed walls of the hospital, and the mere sight had caused Blake to cry instantly. She'd taken the worryingly cold hand of her girlfriend and held it to her chest, sobbing all the time.

A carrier bag by the side of the hospital bed held the clothes she'd arrived in, identifiable by smell if nothing else, and Yang had been dressed in a simple hospital gown, the pale colours exaggerating her beauty. Despite all that was going on, a small part of Blake had been jealous that someone else had seen Yang naked, but she'd pushed that though aside and sat in the chair by Yang's bed, crying herself to sleep and holding her girlfriend's hand throughout the night.

When she woke Blake was exhausted, her back aching from sleeping in an uncomfortable chair, but she didn't care, because Yang seemed much better. The sweat had evaporated off in the night, and now the morning sun lit up Yang's face and highlighted just what it was that had made Blake fall for her in the first place. Her skin colour was much closer to normal, and with the light illuminating her, Yang looked like an angel, her face peaceful and free of the toment that had been visible the night before.

"Oh Yang." she murmured sadly, the words seeming strangely hollow and empty, "All you needed to do was let me know how you felt."

Blake trailed off, not sure what to say next. She wanted to tell Yang she meant a lot to her but couldn't find the right way to say it. No words could fully express the feelings she felt right now, the love and the passion weighed against the torment and the torture. Blake loved Yang dearly and with all her heart, but Yang kept hurting her like she currently did, overworking herself and collapsing.

"I tried to get hold of Ruby but she didn't answer," Blake continued, "I'll give it another try in a moment."

Though she tried to sound certain there she was anything but. If Yang had done this then who knows what could have happened to Ruby? In many ways she was the one who had lost the most in the whole incident, and Blake only hoped she was able to cope with it better than Yang.

"You know, it's strange. These past couple of weeks have been some of the worst of my life, but sitting here next to you none of it seems to matter. We have each other, and that's all that I care about."

A single tear ran down Blake's cheek, and she quickly caught it with her finger, but she barely registered doing so. Instead, her eyes were looking upon the peaceful face of her lover, and for the first time in far too long the tears she cried were ones of joy. She'd been stupid trying to face this by herself, letting all of it build up inside. Now she was back with Yang everything would be shared. They'd look out for each other, and make it through this together.

"Miss Belladonna?" A timid looking nurse called from the doorway, her hands nervously playing with the hem of her skirt.

"Huh? Oh, sorry about that. Can I help?" Blake responded, her mind still fixated on the sleeping beauty at her side.

"It's fine, it's just we need to give Miss Xiao Long another checkup and we need you to leave the room whilst we do."

The nurse sounded almost appologetic and it reminded Blake of Velvet somewhat; the two faunus having become close friends through Yang. Excusing herself with a smile, Blake first stopped to place a loving kiss on Yang's cheek, the contact gentle yet conveying her feelings better than words ever could have. It told of passion and heat, yet surrounded those with comfort and security. It lingered on long after Blake had left the room, the emotions remaining with the lipstick on Yang's fair cheek. It told of the undying love Blake had for Yang, a love eternal.

As Blake left the nurses to their check-up, Yang's face twitched slightly. Though she was sure she'd imagined it, Blake couldn't help but shake the feeling that she'd just seen Yang smile, and the mere thought of it filled her with joy.

Deciding to try and ring Ruby again, Blake left the hospital and switched her phone on again, waiting for it to fully boot up before thumbing through the contacts to Ruby's name and ringing her again. Blake's new-found optimism waned slightly when Ruby didn't pick up and the tinny tone of her answerphone blared out, but she hung up without leaving a message.

"Miss Belladonna, there's someone who wants to see you." The nurse from earlier appeared behind her and gestured for Blake to follow, the phonecall forgotten in favour of something far more important:

Yang, her awoken princess.

* * *

"Oh my god!" Weiss shrieked, her voice shrill and hoarse. Ruby's eyelids flittered slightly but other than that there was no response from the gently snoring crimsonette, her sleep undisturbed. Panicking, Weiss threw the sheets fully off the two of them, shivering slightly in the cooler air. Instantly she unashamedly cast her gaze all over the now fully-revealed naked body of her companion, her blush intensifying but her eyes not wavering. Ruby's breasts were slightly bigger than hers, and the way she was lying exposed her toned midsection and even lower…

"Ah!" Weiss screamed as she realised just what she'd been doing, and in shock she shoved the half-awake Ruby, sending her tumbling to the floor.

"Ow…" Ruby moaned, her rude awakening coming in the form of a hard collision with the ground, the crimsonette rubbing her side and pouting from the pain.

Even Weiss found this somewhat adorable, but that was overridden by her fury at waking up next to Ruby.

"What happened? Weiss?! What are you doing in my room?" Ruby queried, a vivid blush streaking across her cheeks as she took in the nude form of the young DJ. Realising just why Ruby was blushing, Weiss hurriedly grabbed her sheets, draping them over herself in an attempt to protect what little modesty she had remaining.

"I'm not! This is my house, why are you in my room?"

Ruby looked around in confusion, her expression slowly changing to horror as she realised that she was, indeed, in Weiss' house completely naked.

"Ah! What happened?" She shouted, her hands swiftly moving to cover her intimate area and breasts.

"I don't know!" Weiss retorted, though both girls had a good idea as to just what had gone on the night before.

"Oh God! I mean, did we… you know…" stuttered Ruby, her gaze locking to the ground and away from Weiss, who was now quickly hunting around for her clothes and trying to dress herself without exposing her body to Ruby; perhaps a pointless gesture given their actions the night before.

"I hope not." Though in reality, Weiss wasn't sure what she thought about the prospect of sleeping with Ruby. 3 weeks ago she'd have been thrilled, two weeks ago she'd have been revolted, but now? Now she didn't know. Ruby had really hurt her, but somehow, she still couldn't take her mind off the younger girl.

There was no response, and Weiss finished getting changed before unceremoniously dumping a pile of Ruby's clothes in her hands and pointing her finger aggressively at the other girl's face.

"I don't know what went on last night, but we need to have a serious talk," she began in a tone that left no room for argument, "so get dressed and come into the kitchen. I'll be waiting."

So saying Weiss stormed out without waiting for Ruby to reply, her frustrations theatening to boil over. This whole morning had been a disaster, and she could only hope things would get better when Ruby emerged.

* * *

A slightly-less groggy Ruby entered the kitchen with trepidation, the weight of Weiss' words earlier weighing heavy on her mind. On the table lay two cups of coffee, vapour rising from them as they cooled, and next to one of the mugs was Ruby's phone, screen down, discarded from the night before.

"Ruby." Weiss spoke simply, the white-haired girl standing in front of the window. The way she nervously held one arm with the other told Ruby that Weiss was just as worried about this conversation, and as she gazed upon the frail figure being sillhouetted by the morning light she couldn't help but think how beautiful the DJ really was.

"Look Weiss, I can-"

"Stop." Weiss cut her off almost immediately, her voice quiet and unsure, "I need to say a few things first. I've been thinking about what we're going to do now, because whether we like it or not, our relationship just changed a huge amount."

Ruby nodded at this, though she wasn't quite sure what Weiss was on about. What relationship? They hadn't been in one, had they? Is that what Weiss thought? Ruby didn't know, but she was suddenly anxious to find out.

"I guess I'll just start from the beginning: we had sex last night."

Both girls blushed furiously at this, both trying to ignore how content they'd felt upon waking up next to the other.

"We can't just treat this as a one-night stand," Weiss continued, seemingly slightly more confident now, "because our lives have crossed again it has to mean something. So let me ask you: why did you do it? Why did you sleep with me?"

The question caught Ruby off-guard and she had to think about it for a second before answering.

"Honestly? Because despite all that you've put me and Yang through, I still have feelings for you. I can't help but look at you and think 'That's someone I want to be with'."

Weiss simply nodded slightly and retrieved her coffee from atop the table, taking a small sip before setting it down again and moving towards Ruby, stopping only a short distance from the younger girl.

"Ruby, what happened with those photos is something I can't forgive. Between you and Yang you hurt me a huge amount, and those scars have only just started healing, but I'm willing to give you another chance. I admit I overreacted a little, and maybe we can make this work."

In response, Ruby was silent, content to just gaze into the hauntingly beautiful face of the young DJ. To Ruby, everything about Weiss was just perfect, and it was moments like these that told her just how much the older girl meant to her.

"Would it help if I apologised for the pictures?"

A small laugh and a smile from Weiss that said so much. Weiss delicately took Ruby's hand in her own, their fingers intertwining ever so slightly, and the two just looked in each others eyes. No words were spoken, but so much was said between them.

After what seemed like an age Ruby spoke up, her voice softer and kinder than before.

"Weiss, I've only known you for about a month, and in that time you've changed my life so much. Even with all that's happened with the papers I never truly stopped loving you. Everything we've done together has meant so much to me, and I want to do more with you if you'll have me."

"So wait, that kiss at my house?"

"Yeah, I don't really do that with my friends. I just wanted to kiss you!" Ruby proclaimed happily, an exaggerated grin on her face. Though she tried to remain stoic, Weiss was unable to and a small grin spread to her face as well.

"Dolt." She murmured kindly, only for Ruby to lean closer and place a single kiss on the bridge of her nose before resting their foreheads together gently.

"Always."

They stayed like that for as long as they felt they could, only seperating when Ruby reached for her drink. Taking a distinctly un-ladylike swig, Ruby lay back against the table, Weiss joining her a second later.

"So are we now, like, a couple?" The younger girl said awkwardly, the words sounding strange to her.

"Yes Ruby, I think we are." Weiss replied, finishing her coffee and setting the mug down in the sink to wash up later. She waited a second for Ruby to finish inhaling her own drink before taking her mug and adding it to the sink as well.

"You might want to let Yang know that we've reconciled." She called behind her, looking around quickly for any other stray plates or anything else to wash as Ruby reached for her phone, only to gasp in horror as she turned it on.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Weiss asked, immediately rushing to her girlfriends side.

"Yang's in hospital!"


End file.
